The Taming of Santana
by B.Rhapsody
Summary: A new school year brings new things for Artie and Santana. The outcomes are unexpected. Post Journey. Summary could be much better. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Hello Gleeks! This is my first author's note ever because I usually write without publishing. I read a Puck and Tina fic a while ago and thought about how would Artie and Santana react. I kept toying around with the idea and figured I'll give it a shot. I'm not sure where I'm going with the story yet, but here's the start…**_

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A sunny first day of school was a perfect way to start off a fresh new school year. Everyone's favorite brunette cheerleader/gleek entered the building, carrying her notoriously fierce attitude all while turning heads in her Cheerios uniform.

"What's up, Lopez?" Some jock yelled as she walked passed him. Santana didn't even acknowledge the jock's existence. She was only concerned with the opinion of one particular Mohawk-sporting jock that she hadn't seen all summer.

Even though Santana was only a junior, she owned the hallways of McKinley high school as the new Cheerios captain. She had successfully managed being both a Cheerio and a member of the glee club. A feat that wasn't easy, yet she made it look so effortless.

Realizing the new found respect from other students, she was willing to tone down the bitchiness and actually be somewhat nicer. She passed by Rachel and Mercedes and let out a soft "hey divas" while both girls smiled in return.

She made her way to her locker to find her best friend waiting for her.

"Santana!" Brittany screeched as she gave her a big hug, attracting unwanted attention. The reputation of the two girls preceded them. A group of guys had formed, hoping to see some girl-on-girl action.

"Nothing to see, guys!" Mike interrupted as he joined the girls while the guys let out a chorus of disappointment.

"You can take her now." Santana teased as Brittney gave Mike a kiss on the lips.

"You're the man, Chang!" One jock yelled while Santana just rolled her eyes and walked away from her locker. She was walking to her class when she passed Becky Jackson.

"Hi captain!" The cheerleader giggled.

"Practice today after school. Don't forget!" Santana reminded as she tightened the girl's pony tail. So Becky Jackson wasn't the most popular girl in school due to her disability, but she was a Cheerio and that was all that mattered to Santana.

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Meanwhile, Brittany and Mike caught up with Mercedes, Matt, Kurt and Rachel.

"Does she know?" Kurt nervously asked Brittany.

"I don't know how to tell her." Brittany confided as she looked past Kurt. "She'll find out soon enough." Everyone turned around to see Puck and Tina walk into the building while holding hands and talking to each other.

"Maybe San will be cool about it," Matt suggested casually with a shrug and Mike nodded in agreement. Everyone looked at them like they are certifiably insane.

"Brace yourselves! Here comes Santana," Rachel said as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. One can always count on Rachel for the over the top theatrics.

Santana was walking down the hallway when she spotted Puck and Tina holding hands by Tina's locker. They noticed her walk by. Tina tensed up, expecting an awkward exchange and Puck just held Tina's hand a little tighter to reassure her that it's going to be ok. Surprisingly, Santana just walked passed them without as much as giving them a second glance.

"Oh wow…" Mercedes said in total disbelief. "Maybe Matt's right."

"See!" Matt gloated a little too soon.

"Brittany, center-square…Cheerios meeting room immediately." Santana hissed in a little louder than a whisper as she led the way.

"The Cheerios have their own meeting room?" Mike asked.

"It's the first floor girl's bathroom. The second floor bathroom is the day spa." Kurt explained as he carefully fixed his hair and followed Santana and Brittany. Mercedes and Rachel decided to follow.

The five of them entered the bathroom and unfortunately there were a group of freshman girls already in there. Within seconds, Santana had managed to scare them out of the bathroom and effectively scarring their first day at McKinley.

"Why didn't any of you tell me?" Santana asked while adjusting her hair in the mirror.

"We didn't know how." Brittany revealed.

"We wanted to do it in person but you just got back from vacation 2 nights ago and we couldn't find the right time." Kurt explained.

"How long has this been going on? What happened with Puck and his baby mama? And what happened between Tina and Wheels?"

"It's going on for a month." Brittany answered the first question.

"Well I know for a fact, that Quinn and Puck didn't work out. They felt something right after Quinn had her baby but they just weren't meant to be. She was sulking in the guest bedroom for a week. She was a total downer." Rachel confirmed.

"The rumor is Artie was on vacation and the two grew apart." Kurt added.

"How is he taking it?" Rachel asked with concern for Artie while Santana cringed because this wasn't about Artie.

"He's good," Mercedes whispered before turning to the fiery cheerleader. "Santana, you were taking it well earlier. You just passed by them without saying anything…for a second you thought you were ok with it."

"I don't care who he's with." Santana lied. She cared a lot. "But a little heads up would have been nice."

"So wait," Rachel spoke up. "You don't care about Tina dating Puck?" Everyone was a bit confused.

"Please," Santana said as she turned away from the mirror to face them. "How many of us in this room 'dated' Puck?" All but Kurt raised their hands. "And how did that end?" They all looked at each other, fully knowing that their relationships with Puck were short and not very sweet. "I know that this is just a fling. Maybe you two should go warn your friend before he hurts her." The bell rang and they all exited the bathroom. Santana stayed behind.

"I don't believe her." Mercedes said bluntly as they walked down the hallways.

"Me neither," Kurt said. "How long did you girls date Puck?"

"About 3 days," Mercedes added casually as she looked through her phone.

"I lasted 4 days," Rachel mumbled. "Brittany?"

"How long is a one-night stand?" Brittany asked as the others tried not to laugh.

"Not very long, honey." Kurt said as she put his hand on her back.

"But Puck and Tina have been together for a month. That's like a record for Puck." Mercedes laughed. "Maybe Tina tamed Puckasauras!"

"I know San and I know she's not ok with this. We'll have to wait and see." Brittany suggested as the four of them rushed to their respective classes.

Meanwhile, Santana was still in the bathroom. She ran her hands under the cold water and splashed the cool water on her face. This was not how she had planned her first day. She was about to walk into her first class when she saw them in the hallway. She had enough of Puck and Tina for the day, the last thing she needed was to see them kissing. At least Puck never made out with Rachel or Mercedes in the hallways (her hallways) so openly.

On the outside, Santana was like a statue. She was able to hold the same expression on her face so that no one could see the emotions flaring up inside. On the inside, it was a completely different story. Santana felt her heart drop at the sight of the two of them.

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**__**AN: I look forward to your reviews.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Santana's first period class was boring and she hated her pre-calculus teacher for giving them this much work. Doesn't he know that the first day of school shouldn't include homework?

Finally, the bell rang and Santana headed to the study hall. She walked in and took a seat at the back of the empty classroom. Shortly before the bell rang, he rolled in. Artie was the other student in study hall. He situated himself at the front. Santana admired how effortlessly he made maneuvering the wheelchair look. As a dancer, she appreciated his fluid movement. He turned in his seat and waved to Santana before turning to his books.

"Ok…well this is a small class." Miss Pillsbury said as she walked in. She was their teacher for the class. "Santana, why don't you move forward?" The counselor suggested as she stood in front of the free desk next to Artie. Santana obliged.

"Miss P," Artie started. "I don't think you should waste your time watching over us when students might need your counseling. You know that we won't cause any trouble."

"I agree with you Artie, plus I know Mr. Schuester and Sue run a tight ship, so you two know better than to misbehave." Emma said as she fidgeted with her fingers obsessively. "You know where my office is if you need me." She added before leaving.

"Impressive." Santana said. "You got her to leave."

"Well, it's the truth." Artie said with a smile as he turned his attention to his book.

"Why are you here?" She asked while flipping through her textbook to get to the right page.

"Gym class." He said.

"I figured…" Santana said, instantly regretting how she said it. The truth is that she knew why he was in study hall but asked just to break the ice. The two of them never really talked, even in glee club they weren't that close.

"My physiotherapy counts as my gym credit." He explained.

"Oh ok. They already gave me my language credit for Spanish so they threw me into this." She added as she opened her math text book. She only had one class so far so she might as well start on the homework.

"Pre-cal with Johnson?" He asked and she nodded. "Good luck." He smiled.

"It's only the first class and I'm already lost." Santana sighed. She was unsure why she admitted that to Artie. She isn't one to easily admit defeat, but there was something disarming about Artie's smile that made her feel comfortable telling him the truth.

"I took it with him last year. Do you need help?" He added as he leaned over.

"Yeah, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" She pointed to the question.

"You're supposed to find the limits of the curve." He said so casually as if it was something he mastered. Santana just looked at him with a blank expression.

"Limits? In elementary school they taught us that numbers don't have limits." Santana quipped dryly.

"That's kind of funny, in a philosophical sort of way." Artie replied with a little laugh as he adjusted his glasses. No one really called Santana 'funny' when 'bitchy' was always the adjective of choice among the student body. They spent the remainder of the time working through Santana's homework.

"And that's it!" Santana smiled as she closed her textbook.

"See, it wasn't so bad."

"Thanks, you were a great tutor." She smiled, making him slightly uncomfortable. Artie was a typical guy so he was fully aware of how hot Santana is. He blushed a little bit. "So why did you and Tina break up?" She asked bluntly.

Artie looked at her, not sure how to answer. He nervously played with the top button of his shirt. Santana didn't know why he always buttoned the shirt the whole way up. She became uncomfortable imagining how suffocating it must feel and found herself taking deeper breaths. The more she thought about it, the heavier her silver pendant felt. She instinctively started playing with her necklace to move it further away from her throat so she could breathe easier. She noticed how ridiculous it was after realizing that her delicate necklace had the weight of a feather.

"I'm sorry," Santana started after regaining her focus. "You don't have to answer."

"I figure you found out about Tina and Puck." He stated and she nodded. "I broke up with her before I went on vacation with my family. I think we kind of grew apart over the first few weeks of summer."

"And you're ok with her dating Puck?" She glanced over at him, expecting him to be mad she's dating someone else. He simply shrugged. "You're not pissed about it?"

"Not really. I mean it's still weird seeing her with someone else but it'll be weird regardless of its Puck or any other guy. Seeing your ex with anyone else is always weird- you would know." Artie explained and she hummed in agreement.

"I just assumed you and Tina were some sort of epic high school romance." Santana stated.

"Epic high school romance? Wow…" Artie chuckled. "That's a very dramatic way of putting it. You sound like Rachel."

Santana laughed and hit his arm playfully. "I was just surprised you two broke up and moved on."

"Well, Tina and Puck are still my friends. Puck talked to me about it before asking Tina out so if they're happy…"

"Wow, Artie." Santana smiled. "You're like the bigger man in all of this. That's kind of hot." She said casually causing Artie's whole head to turn red.

"Can I just say something?" Artie started as Santana turned to him to indicate she was listening. "I know you always hated when Puck moved on but don't take it out on Tina. She's one of my best friends and I don't want you to…"

Clearly annoyed, Santana cut him off. "I'm not going to pick a fight with her." She rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, I have more important things to worry about." Santana snapped back as the bell rang.

"Ok…" Artie let out softly, confused at how Santana went from being somewhat nice to snarky so quickly.

Santana had already packed her things and was halfway out of the room when she turned around.

"You're not the only one who can be the bigger person and have some sort of personal growth." She defended before walking out of the class.

Santana had to have the last word, even if it wasn't an honest one. She would be lying if she said she hadn't spent a better part of the first period planning ways of sabotaging the couple dubbed Pina? Tuck? Tuckzilla?

She considered what Artie had said and wondered if he was honest with her. Could he really be ok with Tina moving on with Puck? If he could be happy for Tina, then why can't she be happy for Puck? Santana was competitive about everything and if anyone is going to be the bigger person, then it would have to be her.

She was always open to trying a different approach. As much as she disliked the odd pairing, there was no need for her to get involved in Puck and Tina's relationship. She knew Puck and she knew she could just sit back and watch him screw up his own relationships (like he always does) and then come back to her (like he always does). Santana was content with her new plan of not actually having a plan.

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**AN:_ This was initially part of chapter 1, but I decided to break it up. R&R!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: Thanks for the reviews. **_

_**I should mention that I don't own Glee or any of Glee's Characters. **_

_**Here's another chapter- my plan here is to show more of Santana's role (dominance) in WMHS.**_

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The lunch break was typical for WMHS. The cafeteria was packed with students eating that sorry excuse for food. Santana ate healthy to maintain her head-turning figure. She was thankful for Mercedes that now they can avoid those nasty Sue Sylvester drinks and can actually eat something solid.

She spotted Brittany sitting with Mike and some of the glee club members. It's one of those decisions Santana had made numerous times. Does she sit with the Cheerios or the glee club? She would usually alternate, but this time she felt the pressure. The glee club table was anxiously anticipating Santana's next move. They were expecting her to go off on Tina and Puck. Surprisingly, Santana flashed Brittany a little smile before passing by their table and sitting with the Cheerios and the football players. She was grateful Matt and Kurt were sitting there already, not that she talked that much during lunch. She spent a better half lunch absentmindedly picking at her salad.

"So what's the plan?" Some blonde sophomore cheerleader asked, snapping Santana out of her day dream.

"What plan?" Santana played dumb, fully knowing what they were talking about.

"Puck and Asian glee club girl…she took your man." A red -headed cheerleader explained.

"Her name is Tina," Kurt defended while staring the Cheerio up and down.

"There is no plan. I couldn't care less about Puck." That was an exaggeration.

"I don't believe you. Where is the real Santana? Shouldn't we be posting altered photos of her on Facebook?" The group of Cheerios giggled. The laughs ceased shortly after they noticed the serious expression on Santana's face.

"Listen ginger," Santana hissed. "This doesn't concern you…or any of you." Santana addressed the rest of the stunned Cheerios. "I don't want to hear that any of you went against captain's orders. Is that understood?"

"Understood." The Cheerios all said in unison.

"Good. Now, let's go outside. I want some fresh air." Santana commanded as she led the girls out of the cafeteria. It was moments like these that made Santana relish her new undisputed top dog status.

They walked through the hallway and heard a chorus of laughter. The Cheerios made their way through the crowd and saw the victim of the first slushy facial of the year: Rachel Berry. Mercedes rushed to help her while some of the Cheerios let out little laughs.

"That's not funny." Santana shot back, successfully shutting them up. She stared down a few of the Cheerios before turning around to help Rachel off the floor. Kurt followed.

"Me and Mercedes got this," Kurt smiled as he took Rachel to the day spa (second floor bathroom).

"First it was Finn and Puck, but now Santana has gone soft on us!" Karofsky, the resident WMHS douche bag, yelled while some of his hockey player friends jeered.

"Shut your face, Karofsky." Finn said while being held back by Matt and Mike. Finn's girlfriend just got slushied and he was compelled to defend her honor by punching Karofsky's face in.

Santana arched an eye brow and walked towards Karofsky, with a little extra sway in her hips. "Hey Karofsky," she said in a seductive tone as she ran her finger up and down his arm. "Remember that one time we were in the hot tub together about to…you know…" She teased very suggestively.

"How could I forget?" He smirked while his friends cheered him on.

"Well then," Santana's smirked as she stepped away from him. "Why don't you remind everyone who went _soft _then?" Karofsky had turned red with humiliation while some of his friends tried to hide their laughter. He pushed some of them away.

"Dude, I'm done with these freaks." Karofsky made his away through the hallway while most of the student body was laughing at him. His friends followed while trying to suppress their laughter.

"Good one, San!" Brittany laughed as she hooked pinky fingers with Santana. The best way to humiliate a guy was to make fun of his _package, _or lack thereof.

"Seriously though, did you and Karofsky really…" Matt asked, wondering if there was any truth to Santana hooking up with the hockey player.

"Don't even continue that thought if you want to see third period." Santana threatened before continuing on her way outside. Santana didn't notice some of the slushy on the floor before she slipped into the puddle of crushed ice and high fructose corn syrup. No one dared to laugh at her.

"Shit!" Santana yelled as she let out a little cry from the pain.

"Oh, Santana." Finn made his way over. "Let me help you up." As he was walking over to her, he was tripped by one of Karofsky's friends who had lingered behind. The ever so uncoordinated Finn happened to land mostly on top of Santana's knee.

Everything afterwards happened quickly. The pain was too excruciating for her to remember what was said or who was around her. The next thing she remembered was Matt carrying her to the nurse's office before she was taken to the hospital for further examination.

She was waiting in the hospital with her mother for the doctor to show up. The doctor informed them that both her ankle and knee are severely sprained and she wasn't allowed to put any pressure on them for about a week or two.

"But how am I supposed to cheerlead?" Santana questioned.

"Santana!" her mother shot her a look for asking such a stupid question.

"If you can cheerlead in these, then go nuts." He said in a sarcastic tone as he gave her a pair of steel crutches before discharging her.

At home, Santana had a hard time falling asleep. All she could think about is how this is only the first (and worst) day of school.

Gossip, slushies and crutches: what better way to start a school year at William McKinley.

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_**AN: **__**Read and Review. Please and Thank you!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN: I don't own Glee or its characters. Enjoy!_**

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Santana woke up the next morning, dreading going to school. After arguing with her mother, Santana was not allowed to miss school since she stupidly admitted that she wasn't in pain. There was no excuse not to attend. As Santana entered the building, everyone stared at her trying to register what happened. She heard whispers as she moved through the hallway.

"I heard the Cheerios kicked her out." One girl whispered.

"Why isn't she in her uniform? Did she get kicked off the team?" She heard someone else ask.

This was the first time, in a long time, that Santana had come to school wearing regular clothes. She wasn't allowed to wear her Cheerios uniform since she is "_on leave from the team_" as Sue Sylvester put it after finding out about Santana's injury. She never realized how the uniform acted like a shield until she wasn't wearing it.

She made her way to her first class and was unable to concentrate. It was like she lost her power when she lost her uniform. She wasn't going to risk any further humiliation by lashing out at her onlookers. When the bell rang to end the class, Santana was a little relieved that she had study hall with Artie. At least he wouldn't be talking behind her back.

"Hi," Artie said as Santana hopped into the classroom. He gave her a small smile which she returned before taking her seat next to him.

"How do you do it? I mean we had the wheelchair assignment last year for glee, but that was for three hours a day. I still have no idea how you manage." Santana found herself being surprisingly candid to the only boy she knew would understand.

"You'll get used to the crutches." He said reassuringly.

"It's not the crutches." She began as she ran her hand through her hair and drew in a deep breath. "It's the looks and whispers from people. It sucks."

"That's because students here are lame. They would love to see you come down a peg or two…" Artie added rather bluntly, taking Santana by surprise. "Sorry…I didn't mean for that to be…"

"I appreciate the honesty." She was sincere. Guys usually tell her what she wanted to hear so the can get some make-out time.

"Are you off the Cheerios?"

"Coach Sylvester is a total tyrant. I'm _'temporarily on leave from the Cheerios'_ until I get back to 100%." Santana spat out. "She held emergency tryouts last night so she can have a full team to practice. It's annoying and extremely unfair."

"Yeah…" Artie added distantly while turning to his books.

She was expecting Artie to be a little more vocal and supportive. "I don't expect you to understand."

"You're right. I don't understand." Artie's tone wasn't angry , but very commanding. "First of all, you're smarter than this. You shouldn't be surprised that Sue Sylvester is a total bitch."

Santana's eyes grew wider and laughed a little. She never heard Artie curse before; he was always so clean cut.

"Secondly, you'll be fine in a week, so seriously tone down the dramatics. We get enough of that from Rachel and Kurt."

"I was just…" Santana's smile quickly faded and she sat up defensively.

"Third," he cut her off. "You're Santana freakin' Lopez. You practically own this school. I'll guarantee you that half of the girls in this school are going to come to school tomorrow using crutches."

Santana was compelled by his little outburst. She was staring at him like he was a completely different person. "You're so right, Abrams." Her tone was surprisingly calming.

"I am?" She did a good job confusing him. He was expecting her to unleash some of that notorious attitude on him.

"Aside from the fact that you compared me to Rachel Berry twice, you're right…so thank you."

"Wow, I was sure you were going to yell at me after my inappropriate outburst." Artie felt a little nervous.

"Well first of all, I'm trying this little thing where I try to be a bigger person and just let things be."

"Good choice." He added with an approving nod, happy she took his advice from the day before.

"You should know that I have never been on the receiving end of a tirade, since I'm usually the one doing the yelling." She paused. "I must say, it wasn't so bad. It was good see you break out of that whole 'laid back' thing you got going on." She added so casually that Artie began to question whether or not she heard a thing he said.

"I usually don't have outbursts like that." Artie felt he had to clarify. He's always been calm and collected during practically everything.

"Thanks to Sue Sylvester, I'm practically an expert of throwing fits and I must say that yours wasn't so bad. You were effective with your choice of words. The last thing you'd want is to be like Rachel and insult people with words no one understands. It's totally ineffective. "Santana stated dryly as Artie let out a little laugh. She continued analyzing his tirade. "Plus your tone was compelling and you were honest. With some more practice, you'll be a pro."

"Thanks," Artie knew that this was Santana's way of paying a compliment.

"And you were passionate…that was totally hot." She revealed too casually. He just looked at her, not knowing how to respond. Santana grew a little embarrassed that she diverted her gaze and blushed a little bit.

"Anyway," he tried to change the subject. "Do you need help with pre-cal?"

"No, but you need help with Spanish." She replied as she picked up his homework after quickly regaining her composure. "You didn't conjugate the verb correctly." Santana explained.

Luckily, she was able to move away from the part where she referred to him as _"hot"_

Again.

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_**AN: So I wanted to develop the Artie and Santana relationship a little bit more in this chapter. I hope you liked it. As always, let me know what you think.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**_

_**Disclaimer- I still don't own Glee or any of the characters!**_

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Mr. Schuester had walked into the choir practice room to see the glee club members talking among themselves.

"Welcome back everyone." Mr. Schuester said with a smile on his face, gathering everyone's attention. "How was everyone's summer?"

_"Good."_  
_"Short."_  
_"Productive and highly efficient."_  
_"Fun."_  
_"Fine."_  
_"Hot."_

Everyone answered at the same time while talking over each other, unable to distinguish who said what.

"Where are Quinn, Brittany and Kurt?" He asked.

"Sorry, we're late Mr. Shue." Quinn said as she practically skipped into the classroom wearing her old Cheerios uniform.

"You've got to be kidding me." Santana muttered to herself.

"You're back on the Cheerios?" Mercedes questioned.

"Well I wasn't going to join but then they held emergency try outs and apparently everyone kind of sucked. Long story short, Sue Sylvester told me I can have my old spot back."

As far as Santana was concerned, she had filled Quinn's former position. "What do you mean old spot?" Santana shot back at her former best friend. The two girls didn't really hate each other. They just grew apart, with Santana being indifferent to Quinn. Before she got an answer, Mr. Schuester interrupted.

"Let's focus on glee club issues. You can discuss Cheerios politics after class." The teacher dismissed Santana's roll of the eyes and continued. "Unfortunately, due to our third place finish at regionals…"

"We were robbed." Rachel interrupted as she crossed her arms.

"As I was saying, our third place finish hasn't done much for the club's popularity."

"This is like what happened after sectionals. We won and no one cared." Kurt said as he picked some lint off of his pants and flicked it in the air. "I don't think winning would have made much of a difference."

"I just want to know what you guys feel like doing? We should showcase our talent in a few weeks. We can sell tickets to raise money." Mr. Schue added.

"Who will buy tickets to see us?" Puck questioned. "They think we're losers."

"I agree with Puck. It'll be a tough sell." Artie added.

"Santana…want to focus with us?" She hated being put on the spot by teachers. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have been texting other Cheerios during practice and at least faked an interest.

She begrudgingly put her phone away and noticed everyone staring at her. She might as well give them something to stare at.

"We weren't robbed." Santana started as she singled out Rachel. "Vocal Adrenaline beat us because they were better than us. I don't care if we placed second or third or fiftieth, when all that matters is who came in first. I won't deny that we rocked it during regionals, but it wasn't enough. It was our first competition and now we know what we have to do."

"I don't understand…" Finn stated nervously, feeling he may have missed something.

"Let me break this down for you. As Cheerios, we have an expression: go big or go home." Santana added. "Vocal Adrenaline had two things going for them."

"Growth hormones and Jesse?" Kurt said sarcastically.

Santana ignored that statement and the little laughs.

"They had over-the-top choreography that added to the production value of the whole performance. The other thing is they chose the correct song that people knew."

Santana had commanded the glee club meeting with everyone fixated on what she was saying. She knew people weren't expecting her to care that much, but a part of her wanted to prove that she's a good leader, even if it's in New Directions and not the Cheerios.

"Don't Stop Believing is a popular song." Mr. Shue defended.

"A majority of the audience is only familiar with that song only. I bet that most of the judges and the younger audience were not familiar with other Journey songs…or the significance of those songs to us."

"I don't want to sell out." Tina stated. "I like that we did something meaningful."

"Me too. We shouldn't play to the lowest common denominator." Rachel added with more confidence.

"I don't want to sell out either, but Vocal Adrenaline chose Bohemian Rhapsody. That song was a perfect choice. Everyone knows that song and knows that it's a really good song. We have the vocal strength to pull off something like that. We can all use Mike and Brittany to improve our choreography."

"I understand everyone's hesitation about selling out, but I agree with Santana." Artie stated. "What I think Santana is trying to say is that we can do a popular song without selling out. You can be popular and good at the same time." He rationalized while glancing over to Santana.

Santana smirked at him with an arched eye brow, clearly impressed and surprised that he chose to support her. Her smirk and Artie's red face did not go unnoticed by others.

"It won't hurt to try Santana's idea." Brittany always had her friend's back. "Our best numbers were Proud Mary and Bad Romance. They were fun!"

"Yeah, we had fun and they had great production value." Artie boasted. He couldn't help feel a little satisfied. He had a big part in the Proud Mary performance in wheelchairs.

"Having 'fun' isn't going to make us win." Puck stated arrogantly.

"Are we seriously getting advice about winning from the football team?" Santana quipped, while a few others laughed. "We might as well get fashion advice from Rachel and have Finn teach us to dance." She added dryly.

"Don't even joke about that!" Kurt shrieked in all seriousness.

"Hey! I like her ugly animal sweaters!" Finn defended as Rachel sat up proudly. Everyone in the room started arguing with each other about what they should or shouldn't do.

"Enough!" Mr. Schuester yelled, summoning everyone's attention. "Listen, I'm open to trying a different approach. Santana, why don't you prepare a number for next week? You can lead by example."

"I want to work with Artie and Brittany on it since he's the best singer and she's the best dancer." Santana stated with complete confidence. As always, she had to have the last word.

"Are you two good with that?" The teacher asked and the two nodded in agreement.

The rest of the rehearsal went by pretty smoothly. She made plans with Artie to discuss their performance during study hall. There was no doubt in Santana's mind that she stirred some controversy in the club by saying that Artie was the best singer. It was true- at least he was the most versatile. Nonetheless, Kurt probably threw a hissy fit while Finn and Puck's egos were checked.

* * *

After rehearsal ended, Santana lingered behind in the choir room with Brittany. Quinn and Kurt knew they should stay behind as well. They knew that they owed Santana an explanation.

"Don't blow this out of proportion, Santana." Quinn spoke first, trying to relieve some of the tension in the room. "Sue picked me because she knew I was a quick learner and I have experience."

"You said you got your old spot back." Santana argued. "You were captain before you got knocked up."

"She's just taking over until you get back." Kurt tried downplay the situation.

"You can get it all back when you're back to 100%." Quinn reassured. "Trust me, your reputation will not be effected by this and your followers will still fear you. I wouldn't dare get in between Queen Santana and her subjects." Quinn stated sarcastically. Santana was not amused.

"Come on, San. I'll drive you home." Brittany said trying to seriously avoid another confrontation between her friends. The two girls got into Brittany's car.

"Hey Brit, do you want to explain the new dent in the back of your car?"

"It was Mike's sister's fault." Brittany said. "I was backing out of the drive way and she was on her bike behind me so…"

"You almost ran her over again, didn't you?" Santana guessed

"Do you think that's why she hates me? I hate 6 year olds." Brittany let out a sigh as the two girls drove by Artie and his dad. Santana smiled at him and waved goodbye.

"Do you really think Artie is the best singer?" Brittany asked.

"Well yeah, compared to the other guys I think he has the best voice." Santana shrugged.

"I can't believe he sided with you over Tina."

Santana paused to consider what Brittany had just said. "I didn't think of it that way. He knows I'm right. We need to go big with our performances."

"Yeah, but everyone thought the same thing I did." Brittany added. "But when did you become so into glee club?"

"It's the best part of my day." Santana shrugged with a little smile. She was more sincere than ever considering her place in the Cheerios is now questionable.

* * *

Santana usually has things under control, but that night in her room, she was panicking. She's usually given a song by Mr. Schuester (or Rachel) and she just does her part. Now she had to pick the song and make sure it was a good one. She was starting to feel the pressure. At that moment, Santana never felt more like a gleek and less like a Cheerio. Surprisingly, that thought didn't bother her as much as she thought it would.

"Some sort of personal growth." She thought to herself, instantly bringing up a smile while remembering Artie's advice. She considered calling him to talk about song ideas, but she was too stubborn to ask for help. Artie didn't really volunteer to work with her since she basically put him on the spot. The last thing she wanted to show him is that she didn't have this under control. She'd wait till tomorrow to talk to Artie.

A thousand thoughts ran through her head that moment. She was nervous about what Artie thought of her suggestions. He's a better performer than she is, so she wanted to impress him. That thought didn't help ease her nerves. She usually made guys nervous, not the other way around.

Santana went to sleep with a smile on her face. This was going to be one hell of an experience.

* * *

_**A/N: As always, let me know what you think. I love the reviews so keep reading and reviewing. Please and Thank you!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:**_

**_Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews they totally make my day! I hope you like this chapter. I want to let you know that I'm currently working on a chapter with Puck and Santana. I'll post it soon. It won't be the next chapter, but the one after. I'm trying to get it just right so it's taking some time. I want to get the Santana/Puck dynamic done correctly. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this!_**

**_Disclaimer: Still, I don't own Glee or its characters._**

* * *

Santana woke up the next morning, without an idea for her glee club performance. She was hoping that maybe inspiration would've hit her while she was asleep. She spent most of her first class trying to come up with ideas. She had no luck. She went into her study hall class a little late and found Artie studying.

"Hey Artie," Santana took her usual place next to him. "So I'm officially stuck."

"I'll try to help." He smiled without knowing the problem.

"I've been trying to find the perfect song for our performance next week." Santana sighed deeply.

"Oh…"

"Listen, but that's _my_ problem. I'm sorry if I put you on the spot yesterday. If you don't want to work with me on this, then that's ok." Santana spoke a little too quickly without making eye contact. "If I didn't let my attitude get the best of me again, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Who said it's a mess?" Artie questioned. "We have plenty of time to figure something out."

"So you still want to be a part of this?"

"Yeah. You might have put me on the spot yesterday, but I could've said no..._if_ I wanted to. I want to do this. You were right yesterday and what you said is right on the mark." He added casually. Santana smiled because within seconds, Artie had just taken loads of pressure off of her.

"I haven't actually picked out a song for any of our performances before. I'm usually assigned a part of a song and just sing."

"Oh…" Artie said as began gathering his things. "Get your things. Let's go to the choir room. We'll be able to go through some ideas there." Artie rolled out of the room and Santana followed.

"So what did you have in mind?" Artie asked while playing with his guitar absentmindedly. "What kind of songs do you want to do?"

"Well, I was thinking you'll carry the vocals and guitar of course while Brittany and I just do the back-up and choreography."

"You should sing too." Artie started. "You have a great voice, Santana."

"Thanks." Santana could feel her face turn a bit red. "I have some things I've been playing around with, so maybe you can help me out." Santana opened her notebook. "So I watched the Vocal Adrenaline performances from both sectionals and regionals. I'm not trying to copy them but they had a good strategy."

Artie grabbed her notebook and flipped through a bit of it. "I'm impressed, Santana…you broke down their performance into small bits. You have everything here: costumes, lighting, band, choreography…"

"I'm very thorough." Santana boasted.

"Except for the whole picking a song thing, we should be set." He added with a little chuckle.

"I have some ideas." She replied while he went through her notes.

Artie flipped to the right page. "Here it is…The Killers? Lenny Kravitz? Sting? Sade?"

"What? They're stupid, right?" Santana said a little defeated. "I knew it. I should just tell Mr. Shue to forget the whole assignment."

"What? No!" Artie clarified. "I'm just surprised you like this kind of music. I was expecting it to be Lady Gaga and Beyonce."

"Oh…"

"I've never seen you so nervous." Artie was surprised at her lack of confidence. "What's going on?"

"I'm not nervous…"Santana defended. Artie just raised an eye brow with doubt.

"Ok fine." She began. "I'm nervous because of you." Santana revealed quietly while looking at the floor. "This all comes easily to you. This isn't my strong suit." It is extremely difficult for her to admit that she doesn't have control over something.

"You're nervous around me?" Artie laughed and removed some of the tension in the room.

"Don't laugh. I'm serious." Santana said while lifting her eyes off the floor to meet his. "You're a bit intimidating. I wasn't lying when I said you're the best singer out of all the guys. You play guitar the best too. And even in a wheelchair, you're still a better dancer than Finn."

"If anyone told me that Santana Lopez would find me intimidating, I'd think they're crazy." He noticed his joke didn't go over well with Santana. She just shook her head in frustration. "Listen." He placed his hand over hers, grabbing her attention. "You're going to have to lighten up. We've got this in the bag" He added quietly but with such conviction that all she could do was smile and take a deep breath.

Who would have ever imagined that Artie Abrams could give Santana Lopez a boost in her confidence?

"I didn't know you liked those artists." He started.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Lady Gaga and Beyonce, but I listen to all sorts of music. For glee club, I'm focusing on something that would bring the whole group together and something that would make an impact."

"Go big or go home." He said casually and Santana nodded while letting out a little laugh. "I was just surprised we have similar tastes in music. Lenny Kravitz is amazing on guitar. He's doing a show in Cleveland."

"I love him!" Santana beamed. "I'm going to see his show on Friday…do you want to come with me?" She asked casually.

"Really?" Artie asked. "I don't have tickets and…"

"I can get you a ticket. My dad's a lawyer in Cleveland and he represents the owners of the club he'll be playing at."

"That would be awesome!" Artie's smile faded."Yeah, but I don't think my mom would let me go. She's kind of overprotective." Santana decided not to push the issue. The two of them kept talking about all sorts of music.

"Hey guys," Kurt walked into the room with Mercedes, Rachel, and Tina following behind him. "Can we use the choir room before lunch is over?"

"Lunch?" Santana said as she looked at the time. "Damn, Artie. We totally lost track of time."

"We still have 15 minutes left on our lunch break." Artie explained. "Still some time to actually eat lunch."

"We didn't really get much done for our performance." Santana said uneasily. "We'll meet up after school." She decided.

"No worries. We got this!"

"Good." Santana gathered her things. "We'll let you guys use the room." She walked out of the room and spent the remainder of the lunch outside with Artie, getting some fresh air. Santana didn't seem to care that half of the student body, including Puck, saw her go outside with Artie. They spent rest of the time talking with Matt, Brittany and Mike.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**My goal was to show a different side of Santana that only Artie gets to see ...just to better develop the relationship. She has to be something more than 'bitchy'**_

_**I would love your feedback, so as **__**always- Read and Review. Please and Thank you.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**_

_**Here's another update! I was on a roll today. I introduce Artie's mother in this chapter. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

After school, Artie told Santana meet up at his place so they can go through his music collection and try to find a song for their performance. His house was more suitable since he would be able to move around with more ease than if they were at Santana's apartment.

She was waiting nervously for someone to answer the door. She wondered if Artie told his parents about Santana's reputation at school. She knew she hasn't always been the easiest person to get along with. She heard footsteps on the other side of the door and took a deep breath before the door opened.

"Hi, you must be Miss Santana." A woman with short black hair and a thick accent said as she let Santana into the house. "I'm Ivana, the housekeeper. Arthur is waiting is in the kitchen." The housekeeper led the way and Santana followed.

"Hey Santana." Artie said from behind the kitchen table.

"Hello Arthur." Santana teased.

"So you've met Ivana." Artie shot a glance at the housekeeper since she's the only one who calls him Arthur.

"Arthur is your name! It's a nice name." Ivana explained her point as she was leaving the kitchen. Artie turned red and Santana let out a little laugh.

"You have a nice house, Artie." She added while looking around the kitchen.

"Let me take you on a tour." Artie led the way and showed her around the house. The first thing Santana noticed was that it was a huge house that was fully accommodated for Artie. Even though it was big, the house had a comforting warmth.

"And this is my music room." Artie said. "It's soundproof." He added as he loudly strummed his guitar.

"That's pretty loud." Santana cringed a bit.

"Artie, what did I tell you about playing your music so loud with the door open?" A woman said as she walked in. "What's the point of soundproofing?"

"Sorry mom, I didn't know you were home yet." Artie smiled. "Mom, you remember Santana from glee club."

"Hi, Mrs. Abrams." Santana shook her hand.

"Santana, you can call me Lily." She glanced over to Santana's crutches. "Are you ok, honey? What happened?"

"I slipped at school and someone fell on top of my leg." Santana explained briefly. "I'm actually doing a lot better. It looks much worse that it really is." Santana replied as she placed her hand on her left knee.

"Well, you'll be fine in no time." Lily let out a reassuring smile. "I'll let you two work. It was nice seeing you again, Santana." She left them to work on their glee club assignment. A little later, Santana left to use the bathroom and passed by the living room.

"Honey, is there anything I can help you with?" Lily asked as she noticed Santana pass by.

Santana took in a deep breath. "Can I ask you something, Mrs. Abrams?"

"Lily." She corrected with a smile. "Have a seat."

Santana sat across from her and fidgeted a little bit. "This is definitely not my place to say this and Artie has no idea I'm doing this, but I wanted to get your approval first."

"Ok," Lily had no idea where Santana was going with this conversation but she could tell that Santana was nervous.

"So me and Artie have been hanging out and he's a good friend. We were talking about music and I told him how I'll be going to a concert in Cleveland on Friday. My dad actually lives there with my stepmother. I can get an extra ticket for Artie to come with me, but he…" Santana was speaking quickly due to her nerves. She didn't know what it was about the Abrams' that made her nervous.

"Santana, honey…do you really expect me to allow my son to go to Cleveland alone to some concert?" She interrupted. Santana shifted in her seat nervously.

"Well, it's just the drive that's going to be us alone. I have my father and stepmother in Cleveland and he'll be with us at the concert. It's in a club in downtown."

"Do your parents allow you to go to a concert at a club?" Lily asked while raising an eye brow.

"Absolutely not, but this is different. The club owners are my father's clients. He's their lawyer. My stepmother is a doctor. She probably won't be there because of work- she'll be on call." Santana continued speaking quickly.

"What time is the concert?" Lily asked. "And when would you get back?"

"Well the concert is at 10. We'll get back the next morning."

"Artie has never spent a night alone." She revealed. "He has needs."

"I jus…I just thought it's a concert in a small venue and we'll be supervised. I've thought this through. Earlier in the summer, my grandmother had a hip replacement and she stayed dad's house during her recovery because he has a lot of room. My dad fixed up the house a little bit so she can move around in her wheelchair. She moved out now but the house is still accessible." Santana paused and looked around Artie's house. "To be honest, the house is not quite as accommodating as this, but Artie can manage for a night. He'll have is own room and bathroom."

"Is your dad ok with this?" Lily finally asked. She seemed to be considering this.

"It wasn't easy, but I convinced him. Like all fathers, he questioned everything about Artie. My father has his suspicions about all teenage boys." Santana explained nervously "My room will be upstairs and Artie will be on the main floor." There was a bit of a pause before Santana kept talking."It's funny that you were more worried about Artie spending the night alone. I was actually worried that Artie will be afraid of my father. My dad suspects all teenage boys to be a bad influence on me." Santana inhaled to catch her breath. She's never spoken this fast. It's like she didn't know when to shut up

However, at that moment, Santana had won over Artie's mom. It was unusual, but Lily was truly happy that Santana and her father genuinely treat Artie like any other teenage boy. He wasn't a boy in a wheelchair. It always bothers Artie and his parents when people would treat Artie differently or feel sorry for him because he was in a wheelchair. Yes, it was harder for him but they hated any sort of pity.

Lily sat up. "I'll run this by Artie's father and Artie, of course. I'm not saying yes, but we will think it over."

"Thank you, Lily." Santana smiled as she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"I think this will be a good opportunity for Artie. He'll be going away for college and I think he should try to spend a night alone and away from home."

"Lily," Santana stated. "You're right that it will be good opportunity, but you're wrong. Artie won't be alone. We'll be there with him." She said reassuringly.

Lily was taken aback by Santana's sincerity. She smiled at her while trying not to tear up. Santana handed her the box of tissues on the table between them.

"Hey Santana. Where have you been? I was starting to think you got lost…" Artie said as he made himself visible.

"I was just…" Santana began.

"We were just talking. It's nice talking to a girl." Lily joked.

"That's weird." Artie cringed.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Anyway your father will be here with dinner. Santana, you are more than welcome to stay."

"I actually have to go. My mom is picking me up for a doctor's appointment." Santana stood up. "Artie, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll walk you out, Santana." Lily stated.

"Ok good because my mom would like to meet you." Santana explained as the two walked out. Santana's mom talked with Artie's mom. They discussed the trip to Cleveland and Santana was grateful that her mom put any of Lily's doubts aside. She really wanted to do this for Artie as a thank you for everything he's done.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'm really curious to know what you all think of this chapter. I just wanted to show how far Artie and Santana have come as friends. Things will only escalate after this. I know the last few chapters have shown a softer side of Santana, but the next chapter will have Puck and Santana interactions. Trust me! Bitchy Santana will be back! (I know you've missed her!)**_

_**Read & Review. Please & Thank you!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Santana's doctor's appointment went well. Her ankle had healed but her knee is still taking a long time. The doctor said that she can use a cane instead of crutches. She was generally happy that she can finally wear shoes on her left foot.

Santana's mother dropped her off before continuing to work. Her mother owned a restaurant so she was always busy in the evenings. Santana doesn't really complain and has gotten used to spending time alone. It was therapeutic for her.

"Santana, you have a visitor." The doorman pointed towards the chairs in the lobby. She looked over and noticed the back of the boy's head and then let out a deep breath.

Santana walked over. "What are you doing here, Puck?" She was clearly annoyed that her plans for a quiet night were out the window.

He turned around to see her before standing up. "Hey, San. Is it only me or does the doorman still hate me?" Puck tried to break the tension.

"He still hates you." Santana responded dryly. "Why are you here?"

"Ok so you want to talk here? Have a seat." He pointed to a chair. If she can be difficult with him, then he could return the favor by being just as stubborn.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's go upstairs. I don't feel like yelling at you in front of my whole building." She ordered as she turned and headed to the elevator.

"Why would you yell at me?" He teased, fully knowing the answer.

Most of their conversations either end up with them arguing (or making out). And since Santana is sticking to her word about not getting involved with Puck's relationship with Tina, she knew they would end up in a screaming match. They made it into Santana's apartment and Puck took a seat on the couch with Santana on the chair across of him.

"You still didn't tell me what you're doing here." She insisted again.

"How's your leg?" He pointed to her knee, completely ignoring her question.

"My _knee _is doing better…answer my question!" Santana demanded.

"God, San!" He groaned. "Why do you have to be so difficult? I can't come by and catch up with a friend."

"Since when are we friends?" Santana sneered.

"Don't be like that. Me and you have a long history." Puck was calmly trying to reason with her.

"Yes, and we've never been just friends." Santana argued. "If we were friends, then you would've actually called or sent a text when I went to the hospital. Even Rachel and Mercedes called to ask about me…and I've been nothing short of a bitch to them. This is the first time you talked to me since school ended in last spring." Santana stated angrily.

"Calm down. I didn't come here to piss you off. Trust me." He spoke calmly.

Santana sighed. "So why did you come here?" She noticed that she's back to the same question that he still didn't answer.

"I…I just came to see you. I honestly just wanted to catch up. We haven't really spent time together in a while…"

"That's because you have a girlfriend." Santana reminded him as she raised an eye brow. She decided to get off of the chair to create some more distance between her and Puck.

"Don't make this about Tina." He defended while looking up at her from his spot on the couch.

"Does she even know you're here?" Puck diverted his gaze away from Santana. She knew the answer. One thing Santana prides herself on is being able to tell when Puck lies to her. It's a skill she's mastered since he's lied a lot. And well, practice makes perfect. "Did you two have a fight?" That was the next logical question for her to ask. This isn't the first time she's been in this situation with Puck. It was quite exhausting really.

"Yeah… but things were going really well until school started." Puck was being surprisingly honest with her. Santana hated how he could easily break down the walls she built as a barrier. She calmed down by taking a deep breath and took a seat next to him on the couch, probably closer than she should've been.

"I don't know how things just change so quickly." Puck confided.

"What did you do?" Santana asked blatantly.

"What makes you think it's my fault?" He looked at her and couldn't keep a straight face as he said that. "You know me that well." She shrugged with a weak smile. "I don't think she's dealing with this whole popularity thing well. Once she started dating me, she's a _badass_ by association…I don't think she likes all the attention."

"I'm glad you're still modest." She added sarcastically.

"I think people are expecting you to make her life hell…" Puck admitted.

"I have bigger things to worry about than Tina." Santana added casually as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Oh right, your glee assignment…what was that whole rant about during rehearsal?"

"I want to win. I'm sure you'll appreciate it once I show you I'm right." Santana stated with over confidence. The truth is she was still freaking out about picking a song.

"Yeah, Artie is probably helping you out a lot."

"He is." Santana smiled. Puck noticed how her mood instantly lightened up at the mention of Artie.

"So it's true?" He pressed.

"What is?" She frowned.

"There are rumors going around about you and Artie…" Santana looked at him blankly. "You haven't heard?"

"No. Enlighten me." Santana was curious to know what people had been saying. She grew defensive and got off the couch.

"Just that you two have a little thing going on, like you're practically dating or something." Puck stood up to face her.

"No, we're not _dating_." Santana emphasized.

"Good," Puck smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear causing her to bring her eyes up to meet his, while his hand fell down her side and rested on her waist to move her closer. "So you're just friends?" His voice was soft and a little louder than a whisper. He closed the distance between them with that notorious smirk plastered on his face.

"Yeah…just friends." She whispered back as she looked from his eyes and down to his sly lips, then back again. Santana couldn't help but mimic his smirk. She didn't hesitate when he moved his hand to the small of her back, bringing her closer. Instantly, Puck's lips met hers. She didn't resist. They moved back on the couch, with Puck on top of her, all while maintaining their lip lock. Puck moved down to kiss her neck. Santana ran her hand through his shaved head.

"The doctor shaved your mohawk?" She asked while trying to catch her breath.

"No," he started while pulling away to catch his breath before moving back to her lips. "Had to shave it…"He explained as he kept kissing her, practically attacking her lips. "To meet Tina's parents." He finally let out between kisses.

Santana instantly froze. She pushed Puck off of her and he backed off.

"Fuck!" he mumbled after realizing he said something he shouldn't have said. He sat up right and Santana got off the couch completely.

"What the hell are you doing here? And why am I such an idiot?" Puck didn't answer her. At that moment, everything made sense to Santana and she was not happy. Her infamous temper was reaching a boiling point. She picked up her cane and began pacing around the room, hoping it would calm her down if she moved.

"I have to give you credit, Puck. You've become a better liar. All that crap about coming to talk to me and catching up, it was all garbage. You came to find out if there is any truth about me and Artie. You're such an good liar." She scoffed with deep contempt.

Puck began defending himself. "I wasn't completely lying. Me and Tina did have a fight…"

"And it was about me and Artie, right?" Puck didn't answer but Santana knew he couldn't deny something so obvious. "Were you threatened? Maybe you realized Tina wasn't ready to see Artie move on and maybe your ego couldn't handle another guy getting in between another one of your relationships." Santana spat out angrily.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Puck spoke sternly, not allowing Santana to see that she hit a very sensitive nerve.

"Really? Because your track record speaks for itself. In true diva fashion, Mercedes chose herself over you. Rachel and Quinn _both_ chose Finn, Brittany chose…me!" Santana was fuming and Puck stood up to face her as his temper was brewing. "So tell me, Puckerman, how _badass _would you be if Tina picked Artie over you? I guess you should be worried." Santana threatened.

"You're one to talk." Puck shot back. "Me and you aren't that different, Santana. Or do I have to remind you that Brittany chose Mike over you?"

"I'm happy for Brittany…" Santana defended with a shrug as she sat on the couch's armrest, needing to rest her knee.

"Oh and then there's Finn." Puck snarled as his voice was getting louder. "It's funny the things Finn says when he's drunk. Apparently, the sex with you was so bad that he couldn't even stand being with you that he ran back to Berry."

"Shut up, Puck." Santana uttered softly as her heart was racing. She was trying to regain her composure. She was trying to control her emotions.

"I don't know why you started this whole fight. I've made out with you when I was with Berry and Mercedes. It didn't bother you then." Puck was no longer yelling. He calmed down and sat down on the chair across of Santana.

"That was different. Rachel wasn't fooling anyone when she was with you. Everyone knew she was crazy about Finn. And when you were with Mercedes, you both knew you were using each other. Those weren't real. They were just stupid flings." Santana shrugged and tried to rationalize everything. "You and Tina…that's an actual relationship. You misled me."

"No, I didn't." Puck hesitated.

"You met her parents. She got you to shave your mohawk." Santana looked at him and he could see she was truly disappointed with him. "I can't believe you!"

"I didn't think it was such a big deal for you." He stated carelessly.

"Of course it's a big deal!" Santana shot back, annoyed with his indifference. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to downplay this. You thought me and you will have our regular back and forth." She explained before taking a pause. "But this time- this time was different. For the first time, _in a really long time, _you're in a relationship. A real one."

The two of them didn't say anything. They were both thinking over what happened. Santana noticed how Puck's demeanor changed, knowing that she was right.

"You just figured out how you messed up with Tina just by being here."

"She doesn't have to know." Puck admitted after realizing he screwed up.

"I can't do that. I don't want to be _that_ girl. I'm not _Quinn_." Santana revealed.

"Quinn? What does she have to do with this?" Puck questioned while Santana just looked away from him. "Oh…" Puck figured it out. "You're still pissed about me being with Quinn. I thought you were over it."

"I don't care anymore." Santana lied. She refused to let him get the best of her.

"Don't tell Tina about this." Puck threatened. "What would Artie think of you if he found out?" Puck knew how to push Santana's buttons.

"I think you should leave." Santana was surprisingly calm as she moved to the door and opened it. Puck slowly followed her.

He was halfway through the door when he turned to Santana. "Maybe you should try being more like Quinn…after all, I did pick her over you." Puck spoke with such disdain that Santana froze. Her old wounds were now reopened.

She looked down at the floor waiting for him to leave. Puck realized he messed up. "San, wait." He said as he held the door open, blocking her from closing it. "I'm sorry. I was out of line" He reached out to console her by trying to hold her hand, but she pushed him away.

"I'm going to need you to leave." Santana demanded and still not making eye contact. He hesitated a bit but Santana quickly shoved him outside and shut the door behind him. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

That night, Santana kept replaying the argument with Puck in her head. Aside from what McKinley students believe about her, she was like any other teenage girl who just had her heart broken _again_. In the comfort of her own room, she cried.

She knew Puck was angry with her and that she certainly pushed some buttons, but she couldn't help and think if there was some truth behind what he said. She hated herself for allowing Puck to get the best of her. She doesn't know what it was about the two of them that keeps this vicious cycle going.

She finally took a deep breath and rested her head on the pillow for the night, fully knowing she wouldn't sleep. Santana jumped a little when her cell phone beeped, catching her off-guard. She read the text message.

"**San! I dn't know how u did it but my mom is cool with the concert/Cleveland on Fri! You're the freakin' best! Tlk to u tmorrow. G'nite- - Artie" **

Santana let out a little laugh. It's strange just how one text message could make her feel better. How _Artie_ could make her feel better.

Santana slept well that night.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**By the way, thanks for the reviews on the previous chapters. It's a great feeling knowing that readers are enjoying this story. Thanks a bunch!**_

**_I always want to know what you think! _**_**As always- R&R, Please and Thank you!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**_

_**Thanks for the reviews and alerts. I love that the last chapter got a good response. This chapter deals with the Artie and Tina relationship. It takes place at the same time as the last chapter- meaning that while Puck and Santana had their confrontation, Artie and Tina had some interaction. Enough with my rambling...Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

The same night that Puck was at Santana's, Artie was in his room studying. There was a light knock on his open bedroom door.

"Hi Artie,"

Artie turned around. "Hey Tina!" He let out a smile. "Come in."

"Thanks," she took her seat on the end of the bed. The same place she always used to sit while they were dating. "Your mom let me in."

"Is everything ok?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't really herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tina smiled weakly.

"You're a horrible liar."

"I know, but can we just hang out…I really don't want to talk about it." She shrugged.

"We don't have to talk about your fight with Puck." Artie stated the obvious.

"What? How did you know we're fighting?" She questioned nervously.

"Experience." Artie explained as he moved to close his bedroom door so they can have some privacy. "Me and you have been in a lot of fights. I know how you are when you're disappointed or worried or…"

"Hurt." Tina confessed as she looked down at the floor, feeling embarrassed. "This isn't right. I shouldn't be talking to _you_ about this. It's weird." She stammered.

"You don't have to talk to me about it, but you should talk to someone." Artie said quietly. "You can call Mercedes or Kurt…"

"I thought about going to Mercedes, but she will end up kicking Puck's ass. Even though I'm not ruling out that option yet, I'm not sure that's the way to go right now." Tina joked and Artie let out a little laugh. "And you know that Kurt's solution to everything is a makeover."

Artie laughed. "That would leave me or Rachel."

"And since I don't feel like singing my problems away, I came to you." Tina added as Artie laughed. "The truth is, Artie…" Tina's tone changed to a more serious one. "We've been friends the longest and I came to you first knowing you'll be honest with me."

Artie's smiled. "Thanks." There was a bit of a pause, with neither one knowing what to say.

"It's weird, Artie." Tina started "Puck and I got into a fight and both of us said some things we probably shouldn't have said. I think it's just all the pressure from people at school…and all that attention." Tina said uneasily.

"And in the summer, it was just you and Puck outside of school without anyone looking or talking behind your backs."

"Exactly!" Tina's eyes opened wide at how dead on Artie was. She knew she made the right choice talking to him. "I'm the first to admit that it's hard to imagine someone like me with someone like Puck…but it worked out great during the summer."

"What did Puck say when you told him that?"

"I told him that he's been popular and outspoken his whole life and he'll have to accept that I'm not like him or the other girls he's dated. He got defensive, saying that I'm trying to change _Puckzilla _to be something he's not." Tina paused briefly. "Then he said something else…" Tina shifted uneasily.

"What did he say?"

"He said I was trying to change him to be like _you_." Tina revealed.

"Oh." Artie sat up straight, growing uncomfortable.

"Then I accused him of wanting me to be like Quinn or Santana. He-he didn't take that well. He asked if this had anything to do with you spending time with Santana and helping her with her performance." Tina looked away from Artie. "Puck said maybe I wasn't over you as much as I thought I was. I told him the same thing could be said about him seeing Santana moving on…"

"That's stupid." Artie smiled reassuringly.

"Is it?" Tina wondered. "Maybe Puck has a point…I mean, I couldn't answer him." There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

"What are you saying, Tina? Do you want to get back together?" He practically whispered as his eye brows scrunched closer together.

"Yes! No! I don't know…" Tina rambled nervously. "Coming here was stupid…" She got off the bed and was about to leave.

"You can't do that, Tina!" Artie demanded. "You can't come here and say something like that and just run away."

Tina stopped and turned around, with tears filling up her eyes. "I-I can't help but wonder if we maybe made a mistake." Tina made her way back and sat down on his bed across of him, both of them staring into each other's eyes. "Maybe we shouldn't have ended it." She anxiously put her hand over his and he looked down at their hands. She felt better when he didn't pull away and their fingers intertwined.

"Tina," he looked up at her. "I don't know what to say." He slowly pulled his hands away from hers and brushed away a few stray tears. She smiled at the gesture. There was another silence in the room, more stressful than the previous one.

"Artie, I know this is a lot to take in. I'm sorry if I hurt you." Tina paused as she leaned in closer to him and ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it to the side like she's done so many times before. "I hope you can, at least, appreciate my honesty."

"I do…" Artie smiled as she pulled her hand away from his hair and she placed her soft hand on his blushing cheek.

"Good." Tina said as she leaned in closer. Artie shifted towards her and she kissed him. Like the times before when she held his hand and ran her hand through his hair, he didn't resist or pull away. He actually intertwined his fingers with hers, he wiped away her tears, and let her fix his hair. He welcomed this. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer (super-human upper body strength has its advantages).

Artie was the first to pull away, breathing heavily. "We can't do this." He whispered.

Tina blushed and went back to her spot on the bed. "I know." She replied. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Artie mumbled. The two of them weren't looking at each other. They both wanted to say something but couldn't. This was the most awkward silence in the room.

"Tina, I like being friends…just friends." Artie said a bit abruptly.

"Me too!" Tina exclaimed. "Our relationship works really well as friends. I was just hurt and that kiss didn't…didn't feel right." Tina spoke a bit slower and was careful not to hurt him. "I mean it was a really good kiss but it just felt…" She rambled on.

"No, it's ok." Artie laughed as he interrupted her. "I agree." They both looked at each other and let out a little laugh.

"So what now?" Tina asked.

"Well we're still friends," Artie reassured. "But you can't ignore the huge elephant in the room." Artie said a bit seriously as Tina sat up straight. "The main reason you fought with Puck was because you both thought me and Santana were moving on. Me and Santana are only friends but that doesn't mean there won't be other girls I talk to or like. You can't be like this every time I talk to another girl."

Tina looked a bit embarrassed. "I came to you because you'd be honest, not _brutally_ honest." Tina joked a bit. He shrugged with a little smirk. "But you're right. I just let other students and the gossip get to me."

"So are we cool?"

"We're cool." She reaffirmed as she headed to the door. "I have to go. I should probably talk to Puck." Artie led her out of his house. After Tina left, Artie went back to his room to get ready for bed, not expecting to sleep well after everything that happened with Tina. He didn't know what would happen if she told Puck.

His parents knocked on the door and came in. "How's Tina?" His mom asked.

"Good. We just talked about homework." Artie lied. He can't tell them that he made out with his ex-girlfriend while they were in the next room.

"Your mom told me that your friend Santana was here earlier today." His dad stated and Artie just nodded.

"She's a sweet girl." His mother added.

"Are you two friends?"

"Yeah, we've been working together for this glee assignment. She's cool." Artie shrugged.

"She told me about this concert in Cleveland…" His mom began quietly, with a tone that was difficult to make out.

"Oh," Artie mumbled, knowing that his parents wouldn't ever allow him to go.

"You're mother and I discussed it and if you want to go, you can." His dad said with a smile.

"Seriously?" Artie was suspicion of this sudden change. It was unlike his parents to be so lenient.

"We talked it over and we'll talk to her parents about this, but yes. You can go." His dad explained.

"What made you change your mind?" Artie beamed.

"Apparently, Santana made quite an impression on your mother." His dad explained and Artie just looked surprised.

"Awesome!" Artie's smile was still stretched across his face. His mom was practically in tears seeing Artie this happy. "Thank you!" Artie's mom gave him a kiss goodnight before his parents left.

He figured it was too late to call Santana, so he opted to send her a text instead. He typed it quickly without caring how lame it sounded.

"**San! I don't know how you did it but my parents are cool with Cleveland on Fri! You're the freakin' best! Talk to you tomorrow. G'nite- - Artie" **

Surprisingly, Artie slept well that night.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I had a hard time writing something after the last chapter. I thought the best thing to do is show the Artie/Tina dynamic since we saw some Puck/Santana. Hopefully you guys recognize the similiarities and differences between the two couples. **__**Feedback is greatly appreciated.**_

_**R&R, Please and Thank you!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N:**_

_**Thank you everyone for the reviews and alerts. Such a great response! I hope you enjoy this one- I worked in some other gleeks so hopefully you're not too disappointed.**_

_**Disclamer: I don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

The next morning, Santana arrived at school early for Cheerios practice. Sue Sylvester made it clear that the only Cheerios that can attend practice are the ones who actually practice. That wasn't going to stop Santana from watching the practices, even if it meant having to stand next to the potheads under the bleachers.

After practice ended, she walked into the school earlier than most students and made her way to her locker. As she was walking to her locker, Brittany came up to her.

"How was practice?" Brittany teased knowing that her best friend was spying.

"Decent." Santana shrugged.

"We need to talk about this rumor about you and Artie…" Brittany began immediately.

Santana rolled her eyes. "We're just friends. What is with everyone asking…"

Brittany cut her off. "I know, San. Artie is different. Me and you are used to these rumors about us."

"What's your point?" Santana replied impatiently.

"I'm just saying that Artie is not used to dealing with rumors like we are. They might actually hurt him because the rumors will only get nastier and meaner. I don't want either one of you to get hurt."

"Me too….Thanks, Brit." Santana considered what Brittany said and knew that her friend had a point. Santana made it to her locker while Brittany continued to meet up with Mike.

"You're here early." Puck said as he crept up beside her and broke her train of thought.

"What's your point?" She shot back without even looking at him. "Isn't that what Quinn would do?" Santana questioned smugly. A part of her wished she didn't say that. She didn't want to give Puck the satisfaction of knowing that it was still bothering her.

"You know what else Quinn does really well?"

"Cheats on her boyfriend? Gets pregnant?"

"She keeps secrets." Puck whispered, ignoring Santana's insults.

"And that turned out so well!" Santana said sarcastically with a huge fake smile.

"You know what I mean. You can't tell Tina about…" Puck began to explain.

"God, Puck!" Santana interrupted. "When you whine, you sound like a girl. It's a huge turn off. And I'm kind of done with that whole that girl-on-girl action."

"I'm serious, San." Puck grew agitated with her insults.

"I won't tell her." Santana admitted as she slammed her locker shut. She looked behind Puck to see Tina walking down the halls. "But maybe you shouldn't linger around my locker now. People might get the wrong idea with you being here…begging me." Santana stated with a look of disgust as she looked Puck up and down before walking away.

At this point, the hallways had filled up with more students watching Puck and Santana. The two of them attracted a lot of attention, mostly unwanted.

Shortly after Santana walked away, Tina made her way to Puck. "Hi," Tina said softly. "You're here early." Puck didn't say anything. He just cupped Tina's face before giving her a long, and wildly inappropriate, kiss in the middle of the hallways. Tina pulled away trying to catch her breath and smiling.

"I'm sorry." Puck whispered with his arms around her.

"Me too." Tina replied. A small smile crept on his face out of relief.

"That's disgusting." Mercedes said dryly as she approached the two of them with Kurt in tow.

"Jealous, mama bear?" Puck teased.

"A little." Kurt mumbled as a response, causing Mercedes and Tina to giggle and Puck to squirm.

"You bought that on yourself." Tina grinned.

"We need to go over our history homework." Kurt demanded. "Meaning, we need to copy yours."

"I figured." Tina smiled as she turned to Puck. "Can we talk later?" Puck nodded as the three of them left him in the hallway. He spotted Artie rolling by.

"What's up?" Puck asked casually as he walked next to him.

"Not much." Artie replied a bit nervously. Tina told Artie that she still didn't talk to Puck about their kiss.

"How's your glee performance coming along? Brittany and Santana are a handful."

"No, they're cool." Artie replied uneasily since he hasn't really worked with Brittany. "Santana has some really good ideas." Artie smiled as he saw Santana walk towards them. "Hey San…" Artie started.

"We'll talk during study hall." Santana said without slowing down and walked past Artie and Puck as if they're invisible.

"Wow, she practically ran past us considering she has a bum knee." Puck scoffed.

"I need you to come with me." Rachel scattered to them and commandeered Artie's wheelchair. "Not you, Puckerman." Rachel added as she practically ran to the library while steering Artie.

"What are we doing here?" Artie whispered as Rachel led him through the library to an isolated section in the back corner where Kurt and Mercedes were waiting.

"We need to talk." Mercedes started.

"What's this about?" Artie was confused.

"Where's Tina?" Rachel questioned. "I said everyone be here 15 minutes before classes start!"

"We told her what this was about and she didn't think this was a good idea." Mercedes explained.

"We have to make it quick." Kurt whispered nervously. "The librarian is giving us a suspicious look. She knows we're up to no good."

"That's because I usually break out into song and dance in the library." Rachel boasted. "She tends to overlook my talent and focus on the fact that I knock books off shelves and dance on tables." Rachel added before turning to the senile librarian. "Don't give me that look Mrs. Leary! Stars need to shine!" Rachel hissed.

"Oh. My. God!" Kurt uttered. "Berry, tone down the crazy or you'll get us kicked out!"

"What's going on?" Artie was annoyed that no one was answering his question.

"We want to talk about you and your new relationship with Santana." Mercedes began.

"We're friends." Arte interrupted as his eye brows pulled closer together.

"I think you're filled with talent Artie, and with some more training, I'm positive that Santana will greatly improve." Rachel began. "I totally understand why she'd pick you as a partner after her inappropriate outburst during rehearsal…"

"Hold up, Rachel! are _you_ seriously judging someone about inappropriate outbursts? I'm pretty sure your last outburst nearly made Finn cry." Kurt interrupted causing Mercedes and Artie to laugh. Rachel played with her hair nervously while ignoring their comments.

"What I'm trying to say is that the social hierarchy at this school could be a problem, especially since Santana is at the top of the chain and…" Rachel continued.

"And I'm at the bottom." Artie completed while looking down at his hands in his lap.

"No!" Rachel demanded causing Artie to look up. "You're not at the _bottom_. Life-long Lima-losers are the ones who label us that way. I don't care what they think. As far as I'm concerned, Artie Abrams is a star!" In a way, Rachel was funny. As annoying as she was sometimes, her confidence in others does make people feel better. Artie just smiled at her in response.

"What we're saying is that you and Santana have struck a friendship, and we like her, but we don't know how things will change when she's back on the Cheerios and her position is no longer _questionable_." Kurt clarified.

"We just want you to be careful because, like Finn and Puck, Santana will have to make a choice of whether or not she's more aligned with us or with her position as a Cheerio. You might not like what she chooses." Mercedes added.

"It wasn't always easy for Finn and Puck." Rachel spoke up.

"But we're just friends." Artie reiterated. "We're not dating…"

"Artie, it will still suck that we're all friends during glee practice but when we're in the hallways, we don't exist. Maybe it's not our place, but we're your friends and we're just looking out for you." Mercedes reassured him.

Artie frowned as he remembered Santana rushing past him in the hallway. Perhaps his friends were right since they have more experience dealing with the different cliques. Artie was always within his own social strata at McKinley. He was either with Glee club, AV club, or the jazz band…none of which are all that popular.

"Tina said she didn't want anything to do with this since it's not our place to tell you who to be friends with. Maybe Tina's right." Kurt explained as he interrupted Artie's thoughts.

"It's ok, guys." Artie began, trying to look unconcerned. "I understand what you guys are trying to do. Thanks." He shrugged.

"We're just looking out for you…" Kurt mentioned.

"Just like all of you looked out for me when I wasn't eating right." Mercedes admitted.

"Or when I started dating Jesse." Rachel started. "Artie, we didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, it's fine." Artie smiled weakly as the bell rang. "I should get going." He mumbled as he rolled himself to class.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Let me know what you think of this chapter. I think it's important to show the friendships outside of just Santana and Artie- that's what I tried to do here. As always, I greatly appreciate the feedback! I'll be updating another chapter soon that deals with Puck and Tina.**_

_**R&R, P&TY (Read and Review, Please and Thank You...you should know that by now!)**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:**_

_**I said I'll be updating soon! I know this chapter is shorter but I liked writing Puck and Tina together. This chapter might feel a bit out of place but trust me, it will serve a bigger purpose in the later chapters. So to all the Tuckzilla fans...Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Tina was disappointed that her friends didn't listen to her when she told them not to get involved in Artie's friendship with Santana. She kept thinking about the previous night and the more she thought about her kiss with Artie, the more it ate away at her. She knew she had do the right thing and just confess to Puck. As hard as it may be, she was convinced that it was the fair thing to do.

"It's not like you to skip class. I could be a bad influence on you." Puck joked as he sat next to her on the bleachers in front of the empty football field. He realized his joke didn't go over well. "Is everything ok?"

"No," Tina started nervously. "I like you, Noah." Puck sat up straight since she used his first name. He knew she was serious. "I wanted to tell you last night."

"Can you just tell me what's going on?" Puck spoke a bit impatiently. He wished it didn't come out that way.

"After our fight yesterday, I went to talk to Artie." Tina said nervously and he shifted in his seat. "We're friends and we talked." She elaborated with her eyes straight ahead at the field, not looking at Puck.

"You talked to him?" Puck spoke loudly causing Tina to jump a little. "Sorry, I'm just surprised." He returned to his regular voice.

"You have to understand that me and him are friends…still friends."

"I know." Puck admitted as he turned his head away from her and looked at the field ahead.

"I made a mistake…I kissed him." Tina blurted as she turned to study Puck's reaction. "It meant nothing. We both know we were wrong but in a way. He…"

"You kissed another guy?" Puck interrupted slowly, as if trying to process what happened. "So are you breaking up with me because you want to be with him?" Puck dreaded her answer and all he could think about was what Santana said about another guy getting involved in his relationships. He started getting angry just by thinking about their argument.

"No!" Tina defended. "This is stupid, but me kissing Artie doesn't change how I feel about him. Or how I feel about you." Tina placed her hand over his, which caused him to face her. "Me and Artie are friends. It didn't feel right and it doesn't change why we broke up….it was a stupid kiss that meant nothing." Tina was fighting to hold back her tears.

"I-I didn't think you were like the others…" Puck started, realizing that Santana might be right. He thought it would be only fair to tell Tina that he was with Santana the night before. Tina cut him off.

"Noah, I wanted to tell you so that I'm honest with you. I-I love what we have and I want it to continue. I love b-being with you." Tina said, with her stutter remerging because of her nerves. She took a deep breath and tried not to let her emotions get the best of her. "I-I love _you_." She added softly.

Puck froze in. That was the first time anyone has said that to him…well besides his mom. When Quinn gave birth and he told her he loved her, she just smiled. He is still convinced that her smile was a result from the medication they gave her.

"Really?" Puck finally let out. He hated that he sounded so stupid. He wished he could say something more meaningful, but he was truly taken a back by Tina's confession.

"I _really _love you," she repeated and let out a little nervous laugh. "I love that you shaved your mohawk to meet my parents, even though I told you that you didn't have to take it that far but you did it anyway. You knew it would make it easier for them to take you seriously. And I love that you googled hematologist so you have something to talk to my dad about during dinner. Oh and I love how you freaked out when you actually found out what a hematologist was and thought that my dad might actually be a vampire…"

Puck smiled a little, causing Tina to stop her rambling. "You make me sound like a chick…"

"I love that you make out with me in the middle of the hallway in front of everyone. And I especially love that you're turning me into a _badass_." Tina said confidently with a smirk. Puck was able to laugh a bit before Tina gave him a long kiss.

"I love you, too." Puck whispered back while trying to catch his breath. "But you forgot to say you loved my arms." Puck boasted causing Tina to laugh.

"So, are we good?" She asked.

"We're good." Puck replied while holding her hand and walking her back into class.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'm eager to know what you think about this chapter. Hopefully it wasn't too out of place. No worries though, more Santana and Artie in the next couple of chapters!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_

**_A/N 2: My apologies. I posted chapters 10 and 11 and then removed them to make some changes and then re-posted them. I'm sorry if your received too many emails._**


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N:**_

_**Sorry for the delay between posts, but I had a bad case of writer's block. I hope this will make up for it. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

Santana walked into study hall with a smile on her face. She was actually looking forward to spending time with Artie. She didn't have to gossip or talk about Cheerios routines like everyone else expects her to. She was actually having fun.

"Hey Artie!" Santana smiled as she entered the classroom.

"Hey," he replied, not looking up from his textbook.

"So, I have some song ideas I'd like to run by you." She grabbed a notebook out of her bag and placed it on his desk.

Artie glanced over some of the songs. "Yeah. They should be ok." He added curtly.

Santana frowned. "I was hoping for something more than ok…Artie, is there a problem?" She added, sensing he wasn't being himself.

"Yeah, I'm just busy with this assignment for my next class." Artie lied while turning back to his book. "Could you just pick a song and let me know. I'll practice it and do my part." He added impatiently without looking at Santana.

Santana was completely confused and did not like how Artie was talking to her. "I don't know what your problem is but I'll be in the choir room practicing." She shot back as she gathered her things and got out of her seat. "I was actually looking forward to this part of the day, more than glee club." Artie looked up at her. "I-I…never mind." Santana huffed before leaving.

Artie felt guilty for talking to Santana that way. He picked up the notebook she left behind. He knew he shouldn't go through it, but he couldn't help himself. She had come a long way with picking songs, sketching costumes, and getting the names of the AV club members to set up the lights during the performance. It wasn't anything elaborate, but a very good start. Artie's stomach turned, feeling guiltier. He closed her notebook and placed it on his lap before following Santana to the choir room.

When he made it inside the choir room, Santana didn't notice him. She had her iPod on and running through some dance steps for the performance. Even with a cane and a injured knee, she was pretty good. Artie imagined that once she's back to 100% then the dance will only look better. Santana spun around during one move and stopped when she spotted Artie watching her. She arched an eye brow as she took out her headphones.

"What do you want?" She asked in that classically notorious bitchy tone that the whole student body feared.

"You're good…even with a cane." Artie explained as he moved closer to her. "You forgot this." He added as he handed her the notebook. She took the notebook without saying anything and placed it next to her bag. "You have some great ideas. I'm…"

"You went through my personal stuff." Santana argued.

"Yeah," Artie said nervously. "I-I know I shouldn't have but to be honest, I'm glad I did. You don't give yourself enough credit, Santana. I don't know why you were so worried about this performance."

"I wasn't worried." She stated with a false sense of confidence.

"Ok." Artie said suspiciously.

Santana sighed. "What's wrong? What was with your attitude earlier?"

"It's just that this morning in the hallway…like I thought we were friends and then you pretend I…"

"You were with Puck." Santana interrupted, knowing where he was going with this. "I wasn't ignoring you. I just didn't want to really be seen with Puck. People at this school will get the wrong ideas and…" Santana had returned to her normal voice as she was explaining everything.

"And since when do you care what people think?" He questioned.

"I don't care." She defended, as if he was questioning her confidence. "Brittany told me that there is this rumor going around about me and you. I don't care about rumors. Sure, I've probably started a few rumors here and there." Santana admitted while Artie let out a little laugh. "Fine, I started a lot of rumors." Santana smiled uneasily as she continued.

"That's more like it."

"But," She emphasized. "I've also had loads of rumors spread about me. I guess I've grown thick skin to what people say. I didn't know how you'd react if you heard people talking about you. The rumors are like me and you are dating or something, which isn't so bad since it'll do wonders for your reputation." Santana boasted.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Artie said sarcastically with a little laugh.

"But trust me, the gossip will only get worse…so I didn't know what to do." Santana felt strange because she finds herself surprisingly honest with Artie. This is the second time she's told Artie, or anyone for that matter, that she doesn't know what to do. "I'm actually sorry for ignoring you, but I thought that would be the best way to stop these losers from talking about you."

"Oh," Artie said. "I wish you would've told me."

"I wish I did too. We're friends…we should be able to talk about these things." Santana added.

"But you're right a bit." Artie revealed. "I'm not used to people talking about me behind my back. Maybe we should just not try to bring attention to ourselves since it'll also bring attention to Puck and Tina since we had relationships with them before. It'll be really weird and I know Tina would hate that."

Santana felt her heart drop for a reason she couldn't explain. Even though she's just friends with Artie, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous that he still has feelings for Tina or how close they were. Santana quickly cleared her head since she convinced herself she sounded like one of those girls she hates. "So like maybe until the performance is over, we should hang out in groups with other glee club members and not alone." She added.

"Or not tell anyone about the Cleveland trip." Artie suggested.

"I already told Brittany, but she won't tell anyone since I'm pretty sure she already forgot." She stated casually. "Just for the future, Artie. If you're ever pissed off about something I did, then please just be up front about it. I hate the whole passive aggressive thing."

"I am sorry about that," Artie started. "The least I could do is be honest with you since you're honest with me." Santana smiled uneasily. "I owe you that much since you were able to convince my parents to let me go to Cleveland with you."

"You don't owe me anything, Artie." Santana stated. "I'm glad I'll have someone there with me. I hate being there with my dad and step-monster." She commented dryly.

"I still don't know how you talked my parents into…" Artie mentioned.

She cut him off. "I can be very convincing." She stated a little too flirtatiously with a smirk. She was hoping Artie didn't notice. She was wrong since he turned all different shades of red.

"So let's um let's work on the-the thing our song, well not _our _song, but you know what I mean." Artie stammered awkwardly. Santana couldn't help but giggle at how cute he was when he was nervous. It was quite endearing.

The two of them worked on their performance and were quite productive. They also talked about their trip to Cleveland. Santana still stood by what she said earlier about spending time with Artie. It was something she started looking forward to...a lot.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**Let me know what you think about the developments between the Artie and Santana relationship. Another chapter coming up soon...**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N:**_

_**Here's another update today. I hope you like these developments...Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: By now you should know that I don't own Glee or its characters!**_

* * *

The next day, Friday, was the day Artie and Santana were going to Cleveland. Santana was excited that the weekend had almost arrived and she'll be seeing her father. It's only been the first week of school but it felt so much longer. It also didn't help that Mr. Schuester scheduled a glee club rehearsal that day.

Santana walked into practice and took her usual seat in the back with her cell phone in hand. Santana was looking around and everyone was in their own groups. Rachel and Kurt seemed to be arguing about something by the piano. Santana sympathized with Brad, the pianist, for having to be there. On the other side of the room, Santana watched Puck, Finn, Mike, Matt, Brittany and Quinn trash talk some other school's team. Santana found herself taking a deep breath as she heard Quinn refer to the Cheerios as "my team". Santana looked down at her cell phone and counted to 10 to calm down. She didn't want to start a fight before her weekend. She didn't want Artie to see her lose her cool and ruin their trip.

She looked a few seats down and saw Mercedes, Tina, and Artie joking about something. She unconsciously smiled when she heard Artie's laugh. Santana felt someone staring at her and when she looked around, she saw Brittany with a huge smirk on her face. Santana rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going. Brittany made her way over and took her usual seat next to Santana.

"Why were you smiling?" Brittany whispered teasingly.

"Nothing…just a funny text message." Santana lied as she held up her phone.

"I know that look on your face to know when you're lying. It's the same look you give Rachel when you told her that her sweater looks nice." Brittany saw Santana smile after looking at Artie.

"Brit, you know I love animal sweaters with sequined giraffes..." Santana couldn't keep a straight face, but luckily Mr. Schuester walked in.

"It's ok. Promise not to tell Mike, but Artie's a very, very good kisser." Brittany whispered and Santana's eyes opened wide. She knew Brittany kissed every guy in school, but for some reason, that confession made Santana blush. Brittany noticed.

Rehearsal was usual. Santana found herself holding her tongue more than she would've liked. She was just looking to make it out of practice so she can enjoy her weekend. She knew that if she had a tirade that rivals Kurt's or Rachel's, then more time would be spent arguing. Santana wasn't going to cause any more delays before her weekend can officially begin.

After rehearsal, Santana and Brittany were walking down the empty hallways and passed Artie.

"I'll pick you up in like an hour." Santana said as she passed by.

"I'll be ready." Artie said as he raced ahead of them while the two girls were walking towards Brittany's locker.

Santana could feel Brittany looking at her, wanting to say something. "What?" Santana said while turning to face her blonde best friend.

"Just admit it. I know it's hard at first, but you'll feel better when you say it out loud." Brittany demanded with a friendly smile.

"Admit what?" Santana questioned.

"That you _like _him. He's cute in that nerdy kind of way."

"We're just friends." Santana shrugged, wanting Brittany to drop the subject. The two girls continued walking through the hallways to head to the parking lot.

"You won't be the first girl to have a crush on him. Will it kill you to admit you have a crush on Artie." Brittany stated.

"What?" Rachel exclaimed as she approached them from behind, causing the girls to stop in the middle of the hallways. "I'm sorry, but do you want to run that by me again."

"Not really. There is nothing to say…Brittany was just joking." Santana defended. "Right, Brit?"

"Right," Brittany smiled. "Except that you totally like him!" Brittany blurted out.

"Really? Santana, you and Artie are like…together?" Rachel uttered. This is the first time, in a long time, where Rachel was actually at a loss for words.

"No, we're just friends." Santana repeated.

"I see how you smile at him and you're just more positive when he's around. When we're practicing for our performance, you practically talk about him nonstop. You two just really…click." Brittany argued. Santana hated that her cheeks turned red.

"That's so sweet!" Rachel gushed with a dorky smile.

"You two need to shut up." Santana hissed back. "We're just friends..."

"Who are spending the weekend together in Cleveland and he's going to meet your father!" Brittany couldn't stop talking.

"What? When did this happen? Tell me!" Rachel demanded.

"We're going to a concert in Cleveland, but please Berry…don't tell anyone. I don't want people to think we're dating just because we hang out together. He's just been a good friend." Santana admitted sincerely, causing Rachel and Brittany to become more serious.

"I understand." Rachel started. "I won't tell anyone anything."

"San, I don't understand why you're hesitating? Artie would totally say yes if he asked you out."

"Would he?" Santana questioned while the two girls just looked puzzled. "I don't think he's over Tina yet. I'd rather we just remain like this."

"Boring!" Rachel blurted. "He's such a sweetheart."

"And he's talented and cute and nothing like the other guys you dated. It'll be a good change for you." Brittany explained with a smile. "And having kissed all the guys in this school and Kurt…and Rachel. I can say he's a very good kisser."

"So you've said…wait, you kissed Berry?" Santana questioned.

"Yes, she did!" Rachel said as she placed her hands on her hips. "And we'll do it again if we have to. There was a ignorant couple that moved into our neighborhood that thought my daddies were living in sin. Brittany was kind enough to…"

Brittany decided to cut her off. "We made out to scare some homophobic neighbors." Brittany explained too casually. "You should've seen the looks on their faces!"

"Basically, yes…" Rachel continued. "Surprisingly, Finn was really supportive. He even came along for moral support." Rachel boasted.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why he came along." Santana quipped before changing the subject. "Listen, I'd appreciate if you two keep this to yourself. I really don't want the whole school talking about Artie."

"We'll respect your privacy." Rachel replied and Brittany nodded.

"Thanks," Santana said as she walked out of the building and to her car.

While driving home, Santana kept thinking about the conversation with Brittany and Rachel. She questioned her feelings for Artie.

Brittany is right. He is cute in a preppy kind of way, sweet, talented and nothing like anyone Santana dated before. He's also smart and funny and honest and…suddenly, Santana thoughts were interrupted by the nervous feeling in her stomach. At that moment, Santana stopped at a red light and said out loud.

"I _like _Artie Abrams."

Brittany was right again, she did feel better when she admitted her feelings. Santana couldn't help but smile as she repeated out loud.

"I _like_ Artie Abrams."

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_**A/N:**_

_**I wanted to thank all the reviewers out there. I love the consistent feedback from some of the reviewers. I hope to hear from more of you! I'll try to update soon as possible. **_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N:**_

_**First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long delay in updating. It's been a hectic week for me. Also, I want to thank everyone who reviewed and alerted this story- it means a lot. Thanks :) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter...Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

Santana quickly made it home and made sure she had everything she needed for her Cleveland trip. Usually, she would spend her weekends with her dad and stepmother, but this time was different. Artie would be there.

Santana felt better after admitting her feelings for Artie, even if she only admitted them to herself. Then it dawned on her. She'll practically be spending a weekend with a boy she has a secret crush on. Normally, Santana knows how to attract guys but this was Artie and he's different. None of her other boyfriends (flings) were her friends first. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.

Her mom dropped her off at the Abrams' so Santana can drive their van. Artie just completed his adapted driving course, but he wasn't going to drive on the freeway. His parents were letting him go on his first overnight trip alone, he wasn't going to push his luck.

"Ready to go?" Santana said as she buckled her seat belt. Artie nodded as Santana put the car in reverse and backed out of the drive way. They both waved to their parents before hitting the road. There was a bit of a silence in the car, which only made Santana more nervous being around a boy she liked. She thought that she was being ridiculous and she should be herself.

"So are you excited?" Santana spoke up, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Yeah, I just wish my mom didn't cry when I left. It was kind of a downer." Artie laughed.

"I won't lie. It was a bit depressing, but my mom is used to me going away for a weekend." Santana reassured.

"Yeah, I'm sure my mom's just worried."

"Well she better get used to you leaving the nest every once in a while." Santana said as she pulled up to a red traffic light.

"Are you saying we'll be doing _this _a lot?" Artie questioned.

"If you play your cards right, Abrams." Santana flirted with a smirk as she turned to Artie.

"Oh." Naturally, Artie turned red.

"Ok _that _is going to have to stop. You can't turn all shades of red when I say something…flirty." Santana joked as she tried to find the right word.

"It's just kind of new that we're talking like…"

"Like friends?" Santana completed his thought and he nodded. "But, if it really does make you uncomfortable, then I'll try to tone it down and be more appropriate."

"No! I love that you're inappropriate." Artie defended.

"Good!" Santana laughed. "Maybe after this weekend, some of my _inappropriateness_ will rub off on you. We need you to be more…"

"badass?" Artie completed with a smile.

Santana frowned. "Hell no! We don't need another guy in glee club talking about his badassness." Santana claimed as Artie laughed. "Seriously, throwing kids in dumpsters and getting a cheerleader pregnant doesn't make you a _badass_, it makes you stupid."

"Please, Santana! Don't hold anything back." Artie added sarcastically.

"Sorry." Santana shrugged. "What I meant to say is that we need you to be…"

"Hot?" Artie teased and Santana blushed as she remembered the 2 previous times when she called him hot. "Don't be embarrassed, you've called me hot before."

"I was hoping you would've forgotten about that." She added meekly.

"Never. It's not everyday that Santana calls someone hot…twice!" Artie boasted with a laugh and Santana smiled.

"It's just that those two times I said that, you were surprisingly honest with me. And it was true. It is true. An honest guy in McKinley is a rare thing." Santana explained.

"Well, we're friends so there is no reason not to be honest." Artie explained casually. Those words struck a nerve with her. Santana and Artie built a relationship (friendship) based on them being honest with each other. It was weird and they can't explain how it happened, but Santana feels comfortable around him so that she doesn't always have to keep her guard up. She liked she could be herself around him. She knew that her relationship with Artie is different than any other relationship she's had with any boy. She didn't want to mess that up.

"I have to tell you something, since we're talking about honesty…." Santana spoke a bit quickly as she drew in a deep breath.

"Ok," Artie was confused as he turned to Santana. "What's up?"

Santana found it would be easier to say this with her eyes staring right ahead at the road. "I don't know how to tell you this, but it's something I want you to know so that we stay honest with each other." Santana paused to turn to Artie for a second before turning back to the road. "A few days ago Puck and Tina apparently got into a fight and Puck came over to _talk_…"

"Ok…" Artie whispered as he fidgeted in his seat.

"I kissed Puck. Or he kissed me. It doesn't matter who kissed who because neither one of us stopped or pulled away." Santana hated that she rambled on the way she did. The car fell silent and the tension grew. Santana kept anticipating Artie to get mad since Puck and Santana both hurt Tina. "It as a stupid mistake and I just thought he and Tina were about to break up and not that…"

"I kissed Tina." Artie interrupted Santana. "Or she kissed me…we both welcomed it, I guess." Artie's voice was soft since he felt embarrassed.

"Do you still want to be with her?" Santana found herself blurting out loud. She felt her chest tighten while waiting for an answer. She would hate if Puck was right and Artie chose Tina over her.

"No." Artie shrugged. "It wasn't…right. It didn't feel right." Artie confided.

"Oh ok." Santana stated casually, trying hard not to crack a smile. This was what Santana wanted to hear.

"Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about me and Tina."

"It's ok." Santana shrugged. "It's cool that you two are friends though."

"Aren't you and Puck friends?" Artie asked naively.

"No." She scoffed. "We were never really friends. I mean I was best friends with Quinn and he was best friends with Finn, so when Quinn and Finn started dating then we just sort of were around each other. I wouldn't call it friendship…"

"But you like him?"

"Well I liked him more than he liked me." Santana found herself revealing. "Actually, he liked Quinn more than he liked me…" Santana adjusted in her seat, realizing she shouldn't mention her long and messy history with Puck.

"That sucks…" Artie replied.

"I mean he could have changed. Maybe Puck and Tina work in their own weird little way…" Santana decided not to be bitter and she didn't want to sound like she's interfering with Puck and Tina.

"No, I'm pretty sure he's still the same." Artie said as Santana let out a little laugh. "Tina was honest with Puck. She told him about our kiss. He didn't tell her that he was with you." Artie was a bit angry.

Santana tried to put her jealousy aside. She can't understand why he was so protective over Tina. "Artie, please." She began. "I told you about me and Puck since we are being honest with each other. I didn't tell you so can tell Tina."

"Me and Tina are friends…wouldn't you tell Brittany if Mike was cheating on her?"

"I would. But this is different. Me and you are friends and I'm asking you to please not tell her." Santana pleaded.

"Why not?" He questioned. "She should know."

"She should hear it from Puck. Do you know what will happen if you tell her?" She asked without waiting for an answer. "She'll confront Puck, they'll fight for a few days, but she will forgive him like he forgave her and then they'll go back to normal."

"Ok, then what's the problem?" Artie asked, failing to see Santana's point.

"Whatever, Artie…you tell her or Puck tells her. It's all the same." Santana muttered. "I really shouldn't care anymore."

"Santana, what is…"

"Forget it!" Santana demanded. "Let's talk about something else. I don't want Puck and Tina to ruin my weekend." Santana decided to end the conversation at this point. She really didn't want to get into the details.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Artie said doubtfully. The two didn't talk for a few minutes until Santana pulled into one of the rest stops along the highway.

"Want to grab something to eat?" Santana asked. "I told my dad we'll have dinner with them, but I seriously think we should eat something here instead of whatever my stepmother cooked."

"Ok." The two took a spot at a table in the diner. Santana ordered a salad as usual while Artie ordered a cheeseburger with fries. The two waited for their orders without talking.

"This is stupid." Artie started. "Our weekend barely started and you're pissed off at me for something I don't understand. I know you don't want to talk about Puck and Tina, which is fine. I just…"

"I'm sorry." Santana admitted while interrupting Artie. "I'm not pissed off at you and I don't want to ruin your first weekend without parents. I promise I'll go back to being inappropriate." She smiled while sipping her iced tea. "We'll pretend it didn't happen. The point of getting out of Lima is to leave the Lima drama behind."

"Sounds good." Artie said as the waitress bought their orders. Artie smiled as he looked at his burger.

"Do you want me to leave you alone with that burger?" Santana joked.

"This is one of the best burgers in Ohio. We've been to this diner before on our other road trips." Artie said as he bit into his burger. "So good!" He said with a mouthful and Santana laughed.

Artie watched Santana meticulously play around with her salad. It was all very systematic. She would pour the dressing carefully in a clockwise motion then run her fork counterclockwise through the salad to make sure everything was evenly covered.

"You're so boring." Artie blurted out, catching Santana off guard.

"Excuse me?" Santana looked up at him.

"All I've ever seen you eat is salad…"

"That's not true." Santana defended as she tried to remember a time when she hasn't eaten salad at school. She couldn't remember. "Whatever! Not all salads are the same…this is a good one."

"Here, try this." Artie said as he slid his plate across the table to Santana. "Look at this work of art!" He pointed at his burger. "You can't tell me you're going to turn down this delicious burger with its cheesy goodness, toasted sesame bun and these crispy fries…"

Santana looked at the burger and back at Artie. "It does look good…" She admitted as she bit her bottom lip.

"Try it!" Artie insisted. Santana considered taking a bite out of the burger in front of her. "Try it and tell me if I was lying about this being the best burger in Ohio." He pressed on with a smile. Santana returned the smile before grabbing the burger and taking a big bite out of it. "There you go!" Artie said proudly.

"That's really, really good…" Santana said while chewing. She didn't care that she looked unattractive. She just had her first burger in about 4 years. Finn never took her to a burger place after they slept together.

"It's better than that salad!" Artie argued as Santana took another bite out of his burger. The two talked a bit more while Santana finished his burger and he ate Santana's salad. They paid and headed back on the road.

"Sorry I finished your burger…" Santana started.

"And my fries. You finished my fries too." Artie reminded her.

"I just wanted to say thanks. It was one of the best meals I had in a really long time." She said.

"It wasn't so bad trying something different." Artie smiled. "Your salad wasn't so bad either."

"We'll stop by here tomorrow on our way back since I owe you a burger" Santana said as her cell phone rang. She had her headset on so she can talk while driving. She talked to her dad for a bit before hanging up.

"Everything ok?" Artie asked.

"Yeah, just my dad checking up on us." Santana started. "We're almost there."

"So, your dad is a lawyer and your stepmom is a doctor?" Artie asked. He wanted to know more about her parents so he'd know what to expect.

"Yeah, they got married this past summer. But I may have lied. She's not a doctor." Santana started. "She's a med student. She's doing her clinical or residency or whatever its called at the hospital. She'll be a full fledged doctor soon though."

"Oh, so how old is she?" Artie wondered.

"26." Santana sighed. "Only 10 years older than me. My dad is 18 years older than her…"

"So is that why you hate her? Because of the age difference."

"_Hate_ is a strong word." Santana admitted. "It's just creepy…"

"Why? I mean if they both love each other…"

"Artie, he's 18 years older than her. I just wish he met someone who was more age appropriate. Can you imagine if I said I'll marry a divorced man who is 18 years older than me? My parents would flip out."

"That's like marrying Mr. Schuester!" Artie joked.

Santana blushed as she ran her hand through her hair. "Can I tell you a weird story about that?" Santana asked rhetorically. "So when my dad told me he'll be remarrying, I got into a huge fight with him. Out of spite, I ended up saying I'll marry someone who is 18 years older and divorced." Santana explained nervously. "So the next day at school, Mr. Schuester gave us that funk assignment. It was so weird because Mr. Schuester, who's like 18 years older than us, just told us he finalized his divorce, so…"

"Oh, that's why you said he was creeping us out." Artie put it all together.

"It was so creepy, like Sandy Ryerson creepy!" Santana exclaimed as Artie burst out laughing.

"Santana, I had no idea you were this neurotic." Artie added with a little laugh.

"What?" She looked at him with a little frown, wanting an explanation.

"I mean the way you always put the salad dressing the same way, or how you're notes for any class are always in the same format, or how the books in your locker are always symmetrical…"

"Oh," Santana turned red. She couldn't help that she was a bit embarrassed and Artie noticed.

"It's not a bad thing. It's a fascinating side of you…it's appealing." He reassured her with a comforting smile. The Santana that Artie knew was always headstrong and determined. He liked this new side of her because it was a side that Santana only let him see and made him feel closer to her.

Santana looked back at him with a little smile and her cheeks less red. "Thanks." She let out. Usually Santana was called hot or sexy, but this was a totally different kind of compliment. No one really paid attention to those things about her. She was surprised that Artie noticed, let alone actually liked those qualities about her.

Artie has slowly been breaking down the walls Santana always built and has begun to sweep her off her feet. That thought wasn't as scary as Santana thought it would be.

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_**A/N:**_

_**I really want to know what you guys think of this chapter. I know it was longer than the other chapters, but I wanted to go deeper into their relationship and set up a few key elements for future chapters that would only make their relationship grow. Also, I would really like to know what you guys think of Santana's characterization in this chapter. Santana might seem to be too off-character, but hopefully it'll all become clearer in future chapters :)**_

_**I wrote a large part of this chapter at the airport and I was so into writing it that I almost missed my flight. No joke- they called my name over the PA system. So what I'm trying to say is that I would really appreciate your reviews!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: First, I need to apologize for the delay in updating. Second, I want to thank everyone who reviewed/alerted this story- THANK YOU! **_

_**I hope you like this chapter. I introduce Santana's father and stepmother and hopefully you like seeing Santana interact with her family in the next few chapters. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

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Santana and Artie talked during the rest of the ride, but as they got closer, the car fell silent except for the radio playing softly in the background. It wasn't one of those awkward silences, it felt natural. Santana drove through the Cleveland suburb while Artie took in the sights. It was very different than Lima. He wondered if Santana had a choice of staying in Lima over Cleveland. To him, Cleveland had way more to offer than Lima. Artie realized he didn't know much about Santana's family life.

Artie started getting nervous thinking about meeting Santana's father and stepmother. He knew her father was a lawyer and could be very intimidating. And from what Santana said about her stepmother, Artie started considering how stressful this weekend might be.

"We're here." She turned into the driveway of a large house while interrupting Artie's thoughts. "Hey, don't be nervous," Santana added as if she knew what he was thinking. "My dad is going to hate you regardless of how well you behave."

"For a cheerleader, you really suck at pep talks." Artie replied dryly since she wasn't helping his anxiety.

"He's just protective over me." Santana smiled. "Just be yourself, Artie. It's almost therapeutic knowing that you can't impress him because it just removes needless pressure. It's what we do with Sue Sylvester." She was surprisingly very Zen about all of this. The two got out of the car and as they were getting to the front porch, Santana's dad came out to greet them.

"Hi!" Santana exclaimed like a giddy school girl and didn't care that Artie saw her. He just smiled that he got to see Santana interact with her father. It was yet another side of her he got to see.

"Hi, San!" Her father replied as she gave her a big warm hug. "How was the trip? And how's your knee? Your mom told me you're doing better."

"I'm fine and my knee is fine. It didn't give us any trouble driving up here." Santana reassured as she turned to Artie. "Dad, meet my friend Artie. And Artie, this is my father, Sal."

"Hello, Sir." Artie extended his hand.

"Artie, I'm glad you were able to make it up here. Finally, I get to have one of the guys around." Sal replied casually as he shook Artie's hand before turning to Santana. "Not that I don't like having Brittany around."

"Brit's come with me a few times." Santana explained to Artie before turning to her stepmother who was approaching them.

"Hi, Santana!" The strawberry blonde young woman said enthusiastically as she gave Santana a hug.

"Hi," Santana mumbled. "Artie, this is my dad's wife, Michelle. Michelle, this is Artie." Santana introduced the two, trying to get the formalities out of the way. She refused to introduced Michelle as her stepmother.

"It's nice of you to join us, Artie." Michelle said with a warm smile and a handshake.

"Thank you for having me." Artie replied politely.

"Let's go inside. I'm almost done making dinner." Michelle added as she led the way. Artie followed with Santana and her dad behind. Artie was able to use the ramp to get inside the huge house.

"I'll let you two get settled in before dinner." Sal added as he followed Michelle into the kitchen, leaving Santana and Artie in the foyer.

"You have a nice house, Santana." Artie complimented while looking around.

"Thanks." She replied casually. "Michelle always keeps the house freakishly warm for some reason." Santana added as she took off her zip-up hoodie.

"Yeah," Artie said as he tried not to check out Santana. He failed. What teenage boy isn't going to stare when a hot cheerleader removes a layer of clothing? Luckily, Santana didn't notice.

"So let me show you to your room." She led the way and he followed.

As tempting and easy as it was with Santana walking in front of him, Artie was able to focus and not check her out from behind. He didn't want to give her father any suspicions. They are only friends after all.

Santana walked into the room and turned on the lights. "This is your room." She pulled opened the drapes to reveal the view of the huge backyard. "Let me know what you think. Is it accessible?" She quickly cringed at her question.

"It's awesome, San!" Artie smiled without completely looking around the room to see if it's accessible. Of course, he knew it wouldn't be like his home, but he didn't feel right inspecting the room and having Santana feel bad if it wasn't perfect.

"Don't lie to me." Santana demanded. "You didn't even check the bathroom or anything to see if it's fine."

"I looked around," Artie tried to sound confident but Santana knew better.

"Come on, Artie." Santana sighed. "My dad's a lawyer and takes discrimination very seriously so if you…"

"Okay-okay, I'll look around." Artie cut her off as he quickly went around the room and bathroom. It was actually fine and Artie knew he could manage. "It's great, San. I won't have to file a discrimination lawsuit against you." He teased.

"See, that wasn't so hard." She said while taking a seat at the end of his bed. "Why did you lie to me?" Santana was kind of bothered by it.

"I didn't want you to feel bad if it wasn't perfect. It's stupid because the room is great. I was just trying to spare your feelings."

Santana placed her hand over his. "As sweet as that is, I don't ever want you to spare my feelings, especially if it's at your own expense." She said softly as she squeezed his hand before getting off the bed. Santana was annoyed, not angry. She didn't want Artie to be like the other guys at school who would just tell her what she wanted to hear.

Before Artie could reply, Santana's father called them for dinner. The four of them were seated at the dinner table talking.

"So how's glee club this year?" Sal started. "You guys are really good."

"Thanks," Artie answered nervously.

"Sal was impressed by your guitar skills, Artie." Michelle stated.

"I used to play a little guitar, but I haven't had much time lately to practice. I kind of wish I stuck with it. It was pretty relaxing." Sal admitted.

"It is." Artie was able to control his nerves. "I still take lessons, but I agree with you. Playing any instrument can be pretty relaxing."

"Really?" Michelle asked, clearly not the musical type.

"Yeah, because you focus on the task at hand and you can almost forget everything else for a bit." Sal clarified.

"Artie, you should check out Sal's music collection. It's quite extensive." Michelle suggested.

"I'd like that." Artie smiled. "By the way, this pasta is really good."

"Thank you!" Michelle said a little too eagerly.

"Santana, are you going to play with your food the whole time?" Her dad asked her while putting her on the spot. Santana hated that he did that, especially in front of Artie.

"I don't eat carbs." She replied dryly.

"So have some chicken." Her dad suggested.

"Um, we actually ate on one of our stops." Artie interrupted, trying to remove some of the tension at the table. "Well actually, Santana ate my burger." He let out a little laugh. He knows how Santana could get riled up when she's on the spot, so he just wanted to make it through a peaceful dinner.

"I can't believe it." Michelle stated. "I don't think I've ever seen you eat anything other than salads." She joked.

"Wow, San." Her father said. "When was the last time you had a burger?"

"Burger and fries." Artie corrected. Her father let out a little laugh.

"That reminds me of when Santana was 6 and the first time she…" Santana's father started with some embarrassing story that Santana heard a million times before and has always hated. Artie was listening attentively with a smile on his face. He would glance over at Santana and she would force a weak smile.

Santana looked around the table at the three people who seemed to be in their own world. A part of her thought she should be happy that Artie and her father were actually getting along. She couldn't understand or explain why she felt a bit tense or uneasy. She zoned out the three of them and played around with her food some more. Her thoughts were interrupted when Artie and Sal excused themselves to go check out Sal's music collection while Michele was clearing the table.

Santana found herself alone in the dining room. This was not how she thought her trip would end up.

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_**A/N:**_

_**Please let me know what you think! I love the reviews and the alerts- feedback is most welcome! **_

_**As always R&R, P&TY!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N:**_

_**Here's another update! I wrote the this chapter and the last one together so I can get the same tone- but it was too long for one chapter. I wanted to break it up. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

After dinner, Santana was in her room and trying to find something to wear to the concert. She hated that her dad will be going with them. This trip wasn't what she had in mind. She thought she would be spending more time with Artie. She took a deep breath and decided that she was going to let Artie do whatever he wanted, even if it meant talking to her parents instead of her.

"Personal growth." She whispered to herself. This trip probably meant more to Artie than to her. He was going to a concert and spending a night without his parents. She wasn't going to ruin that with her selfishness. That was some serious personal growth for Santana. She couldn't help but smile.

Her smile faded when she realized she didn't know what to wear. What does one wear when going to a concert in a club downtown with a boy you like and your father? Where was Kurt when she needed him?

"Santana." Her dad called as he knocked lightly on her door.

"It's open." Santana said before her father walked in.

"So are you ready?" He asked.

"Almost." Santana said without paying attention. "Just trying to decide what shoes to wear."

"Artie is in his room getting ready. He's a nice kid." Sal added as he sat on his daughter's bed. He got her attention.

"I think so too." She smiled.

"You two are just friends, right?"

"Yes." She sighed. "You know we are so you don't have to keep asking."

"I'm sorry." He added. "I was just talking to him and…

"What did you talk about?" Santana blurted, effectively interrupting her father.

"Nothing." Sal shrugged. Santana grew a bit frustrated because regardless of how old guys were, they still wouldn't talk. Her father was no exception. "We talked about music and sports…"

"Sports?" Santana questioned. "Artie isn't a jock."

"He found out that I had saved some soccer games on the DVR and the conversation started from there. He used to play when he was a kid."

"Really?" Santana didn't know much about Artie before his accident. She didn't know much about Artie before this week. She only knew Artie from glee club.

"Yeah…then we talked about you." He said casually causing Santana to raise an eye brow. "He talks about you like he's known you for a really long time."

"We only started being friends this week." That statement sounded unreal to Santana. She's very comfortable around Artie. She felt like they've been friends for much longer than just a few days.

"He could've fooled me." Her father let out a little laugh. "Anyway, I just came to see if you needed anything. Michelle and I are going in our own car so we'll meet you two there…"

"Oh, Michelle is coming?" Santana questioned.

"Yes, but don't worry. We won't babysit you two the whole time." Her father said as he was leaving.

Santana was utterly confused. She didn't know why her father wasn't being his typical protective self. She didn't know how Artie and her father actually hit it off. And most importantly, she didn't know why Artie was spending more time with her dad instead of her. Clearly there was quite a bit Santana didn't know.

* * *

Santana finished getting dressed and headed downstairs to find Artie in his room, flipping through the TV and waiting for her to get ready. She wanted to confront him about everything because she wanted answers. When she marched in, Artie looked at her and smiled.

"Hi!" He said with a smile. "Awesome! No cane!" He added enthusiastically. Santana was able to walk without a cane now, but still had to take it easy.

Santana totally forgot what she wanted to do or say. She looked at Artie and returned a smile. He looked different. His hair wasn't covering his forehead, which Santana always liked ever since their regionals performance. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a dark grey argyle sweater vest over it. He was also wearing dark jeans and Chuck Taylor sneakers. Santana thought it was very preppy, nerdy and…hot. There was something about it that was different, but it just kind of worked and made him look older. It was one of those geeky/hot looks. Santana liked it…a lot.

"Hi," she finally replied. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Artie said.

"My dad and Michelle already left so they should be waiting for us there." Santana explained. Artie just nodded. The two of them just stood there without saying anything. Santana was thinking if she should say what was bothering her.

"So…want to go?" Artie was confused why Santana just stood there.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really happy you're here." Santana said softly as she let out a little smile. She decided on not bringing up what was bothering her earlier.

"It meant a lot inviting me." Artie replied a but nervously since he didn't intend to be so candid. Santana's stomach flipped when he said that. It seemed like everything that was bothering her just disappeared.

"Let's go…" Santana said with a smile trying to make Artie not feel nervous. Santana led the way and this time Artie couldn't help but check her out. Her long legs looked longer in her heels. Her jeans hugged her in all the right places. And then there was the sway of her hips. It was practically hypnotic.

"Damn, I forgot my cell!" Santana said quickly as she turned around to face Artie. He didn't look up fast enough. Her hips put him in a trance. Santana noticed were his eyes were focused. His eyes shot up to meet hers and he shifted nervously. "I-I got it here." He turned red as he handed over her phone.

"Thanks!" She smirked as she took her phone and turned back around quickly so he couldn't see her blush.

* * *

Artie and Santana made it to the club just as it was getting crowded. They met Santana's parents by the back door. It was a small venue for an artist to play, but generally it was one of the bigger clubs in downtown Cleveland.

The four of them made their way through the back and Artie's eye lit up when he saw all the instruments and the band getting ready. Sal led them to a service elevator that would take them up to a box seats at a balcony. It was usually a VIP area when there wasn't a concert.

"We're up here?" Santana asked."What the hell? We're so far away…"

"You know how hard it is for me to get you into a 21 and older club. I'm still a lawyer and your father, so this could get me and the club into a lot of trouble. I don't trust some of the people here." Her father said in a demanding tone, but not loud to draw any unwanted attention.

"We're not going to get drunk or anything..." Santana argued.

"San, it's great up here." Artie said with a smile. He was actually happy with it. It was his first concert and he got to see the band warm-up backstage. It was already more than he expected.

"Santana, if you don't like it, then you can go home and come back in 5 years when you're 21. The three of us are happy with this." Her dad was one of the few people who could really get away with talking to Santana like that. After all, he was her father and regardless of what people might think, she has the utmost respect for her parents.

A bit later, the club owner who was Sal's client and good friend came up and introduced himself. He told Sal to go downstairs for a bit to say hi to a few people.

"That's a great idea," Michelle started. "I think we should go down there."

"And what teenagers want an old man like you watching them? Let these kids have their fun." The club owner suggested jokingly.

"I agree!" Michelle added as she led the way downstairs with Sal and the owner following, leaving Artie and Santana alone.

"Ok so the balcony isn't what I had in mind, but I'm glad we won't have my dad watching us the whole time." Santana revealed casually.

"Oh…I didn't know you wanted me all to yourself." Artie stated with implied innuendo, causing Santana to turn a deep shade of red. "Awesome! You're _inappropriateness_ is already rubbing off on me." Artie laughed.

"You'll be a pro in no time." She said as she tried to regain her composure. The actual show was about to start soon and the club was getting crowded with people. It was kind of cool that they pretty much had their own private area. Santana actually liked that Artie would experience this with her only and not crowds of fans.

"Hello!" A young waitress said as she joined them. "I'm Joanie, you're waitress for tonight. What can I get you two to drink?" She was a little too chirpy.

"Beer!" Artie blurted, causing Santana and the waitress to laugh.

"Ok, honey." The waitress started. "First of all, I know that you two are under 21 and her dad is a lawyer. But in the future when you're trying to trick a waitress, give a name of a specific beer or drink. We'll believe it if you know what you're talking about." She joked.

"Thanks for the tip." Artie laughed before he and Santana ordered their drinks. The waitress came back quickly and handed them their drinks.

"Be careful," she said as she handed it to Artie. "Don't spill because I love your sweater."

"Thanks," Artie smiled.

"I love argyle…it's so soft!" Joanie casually rubbed his shoulder. Santana saw this and couldn't help the jealous feeling building up inside of her. It was getting worse.

"Yeah?" Artie let out.

"Yeah, and I'm a fan of this whole bookworm look you have going on." She blatantly gave him the once over. "It's so refreshing from the regular college boys we get here who wear raggedy jeans and t-shirts."

Artie took it as a compliment that the waitress thought he was in college. He cleans up really well. Luckily, Artie and the waitress finished their flirty conversation before Santana exploded. The waitress left, leaving Artie and Santana alone as the band began playing their opening number.

The music started and the crowd went a bit crazy. Artie was able to easily clearly over the balcony railing, so he was able to take in the show without any setbacks. Luckily, Santana was able to get over her jealous feeling after realizing it was stupid . After all, she was alone with Artie and that waitress was no where in sight.

* * *

Santana and Artie were enjoying the show. Without Artie noticing, Santana would glance over at him. She was glad that he was having a good time. The show was nearing an end and everyone seemed to settle down as the beginning keys of a rock ballad were starting.

"I love this song!" Santana said with a huge smile as she began singing along softly but in perfect pitch.

_All of my life  
Where have you been  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
And if that day comes  
I know we could win  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again_

Artie looked over at her as she stopped singing and leaned on the railing. He noticed that Santana would lift her leg off the ground and bend her knee.

"Are you ok?" Artie asked as he placed a hand over hers on the railing.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Probably a bad idea to wear heels and stand with my knee not being a 100%"

"Oh…" Artie stated, nothing knowing what to do.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." She said confidently as she turned her attention back to the song but Santana didn't sing.

_At every time I've always known  
That you where there, upon your throne  
A lonely queen without her king  
I longed for you, my love forever_

Artie looked back at her still shifting the weight on her other leg. He held her hand again and pulled her closer. "Here," he said as he pulled so that she was standing in front of him a bit. He placed his hands on her hips and guided her to sit on his lap. He felt her tense up a bit. "It's fine…" He reassured and she loosened up. Artie has done this before and most of Santana's weight was on the chair and not him.

Santana was tense at first but it wasn't because she was afraid that she might hurt Artie. She was tense because she was never this close or this intimate with him before.

"Am I blocking your view from the stage?" She asked.

"The view is great from here." Artie said as Santana felt his grip around her waist tighten. Neither one of them turned red or was nervous. They both were enjoying this _experience _together. The two of them felt very comfortable. It felt very good.

It felt very natural.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**The song I used was Again by Lenny Kravitz. I found it appropriate to use between the two of them. I only included the parts that worked. Feel free to look up the song if you're interested.**_

_**Also, I would like to know what you think about the Santana and Artie developments. Things should get a bit more interesting in the next few chapters. I have a few ideas planned out so we'll see how it turns out. I would love to know what you think so...**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N:**_

_**Thank you for everyone who reviewed and alerted- it means a lot hearing what you think! I hope you like this chapter. It's heavy with Santana and Artie. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

After the concert ended, Santana and Artie left quickly to beat the traffic. Since it was at a club, some people still stuck around. Santana told her dad she'll call when they get home. Santana and Artie made it home and both of them were starving. They raided the fridge and pantry for anything to eat.

"I loved the show!" Santana said with a smile. "I'm so inspired." She said as she dug her spoon into some frozen yogurt. Artie just smiled back at her. "What?" She said with a mouthful of yogurt.

"That's attractive." He joked.

"Did you not like the concert as much as I did?" She asked with a slight frown. She just assumed that they were both having a good time.

"I loved it. It was awesome." Artie quickly dismissed any doubts she had. "I'm just glad you had a good time."

"Me too," Santana smiled. "We should try to do this more often."

"That would be cool if there is a concert we both want to go to." Artie added.

"Or we can just hang out here…there's a lot more to do. I think we all need to detox from Lima every once in a while."

"Sounds good." Artie said. There was a bit of a silence in the room. Artie was watching Santana play around with her yogurt. "San…" His tone was soft and a bit serious, causing her to look up at him. "Why are you in Lima?"

"What?" Santana let out a little smile. It was a bit of a weird question.

"I mean doesn't Cleveland have more to offer or didn't you have a choice to move?"

"Oh," Santana shifted in her seat to sit up straight. "It's a long story…" She usually didn't talk about her family but this was Artie. She felt at ease with him. "My parents were going to move to Lima. My dad got a good job there and they wanted to move to a smaller town. My mom wanted to start her own bakery. As we were about to make the move, I guess my parents realized they wanted different things. _Irreconcilable differences_ was the way the lawyers put it." She shrugged. "I don't know the exact details of the divorce. I was 8 and they thought it would be better for me to be with my mother in a small town instead of a busy city with a busy father…" She sounded a little bitter. Artie noticed.

"I didn't mean to push you to talk about…"

"No, it's fine." She interrupted. "My parents are fine now. My mom practically catered my dad's wedding this summer. They're good friends."

"That's good!"Artie tried to lighten her up. She smiled weakly. "I'm a total downer." He let out after realizing he ruined the mood by asking about her parents.

"It's all good." She reassured him as she let out a little smirk. "I don't know if you know this, but you're very disarming."

Artie raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I don't know. I just find myself telling you things that I would normally keep to myself." Santana laughed a little bit.

"Like what?"

"Like that stuff about my parents, or that I needed help in my math class, or that I blurt out all the hot about you." She added causing Artie to laugh and turn a little red. "See! You still turn red!" She placed her hand softly on his red cheek. "You're literally hot now."

He laughed."Your hands are ice cold."

"Sorry!" She giggled as Artie took her hand off his cheek and just held her hand in both of his. Santana's hand instantly grew warmer and she felt her stomach flip.

She and Artie were sitting closer than usual and neither one said anything. Artie's eyes were focused on their hands as if he was studying them. Santana thought he might be nervous and avoiding eye contact. Santana used her free hand to run her fingers through his hair. For some reason, she didn't like when his hair mopped down over his whole forehead. She was kind of a control freak that way and it wasn't like Artie minded. He looked up at her and they locked eyes for a moment before Santana looked down at his lips and he leaned closer. Santana closed the distance between them while studying his lips and then his eyes. She never noticed how blue his eyes were or felt the warmth behind them. Artie felt his heart racing as Santana was a few tiny inches away from his lips and just as they were about to finally kiss…

His cell phone rang and vibrated on the kitchen table, effectively killing the mood. Santana let out a little sigh as she moved further away, grabbed his phone and looked at the screen.

"It's Tina." Santana handed him the phone, sounding a little defeated. "You want to take this." She assumed instead of asking. Artie grabbed his phone and glanced at the screen before hitting the ignore button.

"No," he said as he put it back on the table. Santana couldn't help but smile.

"Really?" She whispered as Artie pulled her closer, trying to get back to where they were.

"Really." He whispered back while their lips were closer than before. And just like that…

"Santana! We're home." Her father yelled from the other room right before they heard the front door close shut. If Tina's ill-timed phone call killed the mood, Santana's father buried the mood. She let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding while Artie just smiled at her, letting her know that it's ok. The two pulled a part and pretended they were just talking. Artie and Santana were so close and the moment was just right before being interrupted…twice

Her father and Michelle made it into the kitchen. "I thought you'd be asleep by now." Michelle added as she poured some water.

"How was the concert? Did you two have fun?" Her father asked.

"It was great." Santana replied quickly while Artie smiled and nodded along.

"Good." Michelle said. "I'm going to be heading to bed because I have to go to work tomorrow morning. Artie, is everything in your room ok?"

"It's perfect." He replied earnestly. "Have a good night. I'm going to bed too." Santana was hoping he would stay up a little longer.

Everyone decided to call it a night.

* * *

Santana was in her bed, unable to sleep. A part of her wanted to know what would have happened if Tina didn't call or if her dad didn't come home. She played the scenario in her head and found herself smiling like an idiot alone in her room, but she didn't care. She wondered what kissing Artie would be like. She felt her stomach flip again just by thinking about it.

Then her thoughts turned negative. What if they kissed and it ended horribly and ruined their friendship. What if they already ruined their friendship? Can it still be called a friendship since they've been really close lately. She was nervous. She wanted to know if Artie regretted almost kissing her. They could be going too fast or they got carried away.

What really bothered Santana was if Artie now feels it was all a mistake. With all of these thoughts in her head, how the hell was she supposed to get a good night's sleep?

* * *

While Santana was in her room, growing more anxious by the second, Artie was in his room and was able to shower and change before going to bed. He wasn't the type to sleep for too long, especially since he had a lot on his mind. He decided to make use of the TV in the room and hoped he could find something to distract him until he got tired enough to fall asleep. It wasn't the best way to fall asleep, but he needed something to get his mind off of almost kissing Santana.

Artie really wanted to kiss her. He kept replaying the situation in his head and tried to find moments where he could've pulled her closer or if he had just put his phone on silent in the first place. The surprising thing was that Artie didn't have doubts. He knew he wanted to kiss her and that she wanted to kiss him. He wasn't as worked up about it as Santana was. If she changed her mind, then that's fine with him and would deal with it when it comes up. Right now, he kept thinking about how he almost kissed Santana Lopez. He was actually the cooler one about all of this.

The only thing that he was nervous about was if her father sensed that they were up to something. Artie was a bit startled by the knock on the door, assumed the worst and thought it was her father. "Come in," he said trying to regain this composure and hide any anxiety in his voice.

The door opened and to his pleasant surprise, it was Santana. She walked in and closed the door behind her. She had her back pressed to the door. "We need to talk."

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Don't hate me! I know I'm such a tease but I had to build up the next chapter so that the Santana and Artie relationship continues to evolve. That's right- more Santana and Artie in the next chapter. Please provide me with your feedback and let me know what you think. As always, I love to hear your comments and reviews. **_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N:**_

_**Going to keep this note short- Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Artie couldn't help to hide his smile when Santana walked into the room.

"Can we talk?" She asked with her back against the door. She was a little louder than a whisper but her question seemed to echo throughout.

Artie's smile was replaced with a frown. "Of course." He didn't know what was wrong and all he knew was that Santana seemed tense and not herself. Artie was sitting on his bed. His back up against the headboard and his legs out in front of him. He reached over to grip his wheelchair.

"No, don't get up." Santana insisted. "You look comfortable." She smiled.

"What's wrong?" He cut to the point. He didn't realize that an upset Santana bothers him so much, especially if he's the one who might have upset her.

"We almost kissed?" Santana stated softly as she sat on the side of Artie's bed, facing him.

"Yeah, I was there." He was a bit annoyed that she was still not getting to the point.

"Are we going too fast?" She finally revealed before a brief silence filled the room.

"I don't know…" Artie let out. "We've been spending a lot of time together but, if you want, we can pretend what happened in the kitchen never happened."

"That's not what I want." Santana eagerly replied as she put her hand over his. "I just don't know where you stand in all of this. You couldn't get out of the kitchen fast enough when my parents got home and then you wouldn't even look at me."

"I-I…" Artie tried to explain.

"So I just thought maybe you had doubts." She shrugged. "Or realized that it was a mistake."

"I didn't look at you because your dad still terrifies me. I don't want to give him any ideas about us." Artie explained with a little shrug.

"Oh…" Santana blushed, feeling a bit foolish. She was never one to be overdramatic.

"Maybe you're right. We could be going too fast." Artie finally added. "I personally wish we were a bit faster in the kitchen or maybe I should always put my phone on silent mode."

"Really?" She asked while letting out a little laugh. At this point, Santana was sitting next to Artie on the bed, with both of their backs up against the headboard.

"Santana, you're the one who's unsure about everything. I'm ok with what happened, or what almost happened, in the kitchen. Clearly, you're not." Artie spoke honestly.

There was a bit of a pause as Santana's thoughts raced through her head. "You're right." She admitted.

"I am?" Artie was expecting her to put up a fight and was surprised when she took it calmly.

"You are." She reassured with a smile. "Trust me, I liked being _close _to you at the concert. I liked our _moments_ in the kitchen. I love just sitting here with you but, deep down I can't shake the feeling that you're not over Tina."

"What?" Artie frowned. "Tina has nothing to do with this. You're the one who's not over Puck and that's why you're having all these doubts."

"Puck and I are so beyond over." Santana defended with a little of her bitchy side surfacing.

"Me and Tina are just friends." Artie replied. The two of them were quiet as their conversation came to a pause.

"Listen, I'm not saying this to be mean or anything but it's the truth. Puck and Tina are _not_ going to last." Santana said while looking straight ahead. It was easier sitting next to Artie so she doesn't have to see his reactions. "I know how Puck is. He's going to screw it up. What if Tina wants to give you another chance or if you want to restart things with her?"

"I don't want to." Artie interrupted.

"You say that now, but things change. I don't want to deal with a guy who wants to be with someone else. I've been there and it hurts." Santana spoke frankly, hoping Artie would understand.

"Puck and Quinn?" He asked and Santana nodded. "Listen, me and Tina were friends before we dated and I'm still going to be friends with her today, tomorrow, and next month. That doesn't mean that either one of us wants to be anything more. We've tried it and it didn't work."

Santana didn't know what to think. Artie was practically telling her everything she wanted to hear and he was being honest with her. She didn't feel as good as she thought she would.

"I like Puck and Quinn," Artie started while Santana just raised an eye brow. "They seem to have grown up a bit in glee club, but that doesn't change that they were horrible friends to you."

"I'm not some sort of heatless bitch. I saw how difficult it was for them to deal with her pregnancy and give up their baby. I just know better than to be with someone who might have feelings for someone else."

"I agree, but I don't have feelings for Tina in that way." Artie repeated.

"I know…" Santana started.

Artie cut her off. "If you think all guys are going to treat you like Puck, then you might as well go back to being with girls. I have a feeling Mike won't mind sharing you with Brittany as long as you let him watch…" Artie joked causing Santana to laugh and lighten up. "Seriously, you can do a lot better than Puck."

"You have anyone in mind?" she smirked.

Artie shrugged. "I might know a guy." He leaned in a bit closer to her.

Santana let out a little giggle. She loved this side of Artie. He was honest and confident- it's a turn on. "You know, people stupidly think that I'm being your friend to get between Puck and Tina. Do you know what they would think if we were more than just friends?" she asked softly.

"We'll find out soon." Artie smirked as he moved a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Is that so?" She whispered as the two were a few inches apart. Artie studied her eyes before gently pressing his lips against hers. At that moment, it was just Santana and Artie. It was perfect. Puck, Tina, Santana's father and any hesitation either one of them felt had become non-existent.

Santana pressed her body against his as Artie teased by pulling and biting on her bottom lip before pulling away, keeping her wanting more. "Wow," Santana whispered as she tried to catch her breath. "Brittany was right about you."

"What?" Artie whispered back, having no idea what she was talking about.

"Never mind." She smiled before moving in for another kiss, filled with more passion. Artie pulled Santana closer to him and took control. Santana loved it when Artie takes the lead. He guided Santana on top of him so that she was straddling him, with more of the weight on the bed and not his legs. "Much better." She added softly.

"I think so." He whispered back as he started to softly kiss her neck. He moved up the neck and gently kissed her behind the ear, causing Santana to let out a little moan.

"You're trouble." She whispered as Artie moved back to her lips one last time before slowly pulling away, leaving her lingering for more. Santana moved back to her position on the bed, next to Artie. The two of them held hands and decided to continue watching a movie that Artie had been watching earlier.

They didn't plan it this way, but two of them fell asleep next to each other. Artie had his arm around Santana while she was cuddled up to his side. It felt good. All of it- the kissing, holding hands, sleeping beside each other- felt natural.

* * *

"_Ahem!_"

Artie and Santana woke up slowly, before their eyes shot wide open. "Oh my God!" Santana gasped.

"Go to your room before your father wakes up." Michelle ordered while standing in the doorway, holding her cup of coffee. "Go. Now." Santana never saw Michelle be this stern, but she wanted to explain what happened.

"Michelle," Santana started as she got off the bed.

"Listen." She interrupted. "I didn't get enough sleep and have to report to the hospital for work. I am not dealing with _this_ right now. I highly, _highly_ recommend that you go to your room and get some more sleep. Same goes for you, Artie."

"Ok." Santana added weakly as she exited the room, with Michelle following her.

Santana made it to her bed and couldn't continue her sleep. She was freaking out about what Michelle might tell her dad but then Santana remembered Artie…and their kiss (kisses). She smiled just by thinking about Artie. It was just so perfect and passionate and _hot_. At that moment, she didn't care about when her father finds out. Her thoughts were now focused on her new relationship with Artie…

And their next inevitable kiss.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**First, I want to say thanks for the awesome reviews because they totally motivate me to write! I hope this chapter left you guys satisfied. Let me know what you think and I hope that certain reviewers don't hate or mildly dislike me anymore (You know who you are!)**_

_**As always...**_

_** R&R, P&TY! **_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N:**_

_**A huge thanks to all those wonderful readers who review/alert this story. You're the best! Also, I want to say sorry for the delay in updating. **_

_**The last chapter ended with a huge milestone in the Santana and Artie relationship. This chapter and perhaps the next 2 chapters will focus on other Glee club members. It might feel out of place but I wanted to show other relationships in the glee club. Trust me- all of the stuff in the next few chapters will impact the future of the Santana and Artie relationship in huge ways. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

While Santana and Artie were enjoying their weekend in Cleveland, other glee club members were still having their fair share of drama back in Lima. It was the first Friday night of the school year and someone had to throw the inaugural high school party. Once Brittany found out that Mike's parents were going out of town for a night and that he'd have the house to himself, she spread the news to the Cheerios who naturally told everyone else.

Brittany was the first one at Mike's house to help him set up. She gathered all the valuable and breakable stuff in the house and locked them in his parents' room. People seriously don't give Brittany enough credit- she knows how to cover her ass.

"Ok, so I locked everything important away in your mom and dad's room." Brittany said proudly as she handed him the key.

"Thanks," Mike said. "Brit…next time you tell people about a party at my house, can you tell me first?" He was a bit annoyed.

"I know it was totally unfair not to tell you but I had to act fast. I wanted the party here so we can tell glee club to come. If it was some other jock's house then they won't invite everyone. I wanted the first party to have all _my_ friends."

"_Our _friends." Mike replied as Brittany gushed.

"Exactly!" She said as she gave him a kiss on the lips.

* * *

A short while later, people started filling up the house. It was mostly Cheerios, the football team, and the basketball team. None of which really had a big problem with the glee club. Luckily, there was no sign of Karofsky, Azimio, or the rest of Neanderthal hockey team. Practically the whole glee club was there. Mercedes and Kurt were hanging out with other Cheerios. Even though Mercedes was no longer on the team, they're still cool with her and they loved Kurt.

Finn and Rachel walked in together, holding hands as Rachel led the way to the first familiar face she saw. She wasn't really comfortable at these parties. It wasn't like she was always welcome either. She was a bit relieved when she saw Brittany, Mike, and Quinn.

"Hey Rach!" Mike exclaimed.

"Hi," She replied with a smile.

"I'm glad you made it." Brittany added.

"I didn't think you would come." Quinn said rather bitterly. She immediately regretted that she sounded like a bitch. Quinn is still adjusting to everything after the baby.

"There's a first time for everything, I guess." Rachel added quietly. As the tension mounted around them, a crowd of people starting singing (yelling) along a popular song came on.

"So Rach, let's dance. Maybe I can teach you to pop-n-lock." Mike suggested in effort to cut down on that awkward feeling. "I hope you don't mind, Finn."

"Not at all." Finn answered. He was relieved that he didn't have to dance and that Rachel could actually have a good time with others. Brittany joined everyone else who was dancing, leaving Quinn and Finn together by the dinner table that had all the drinks and snacks.

"Here," Finn said casually as he handed Quinn a diet coke before grabbing his own drink. She just smiled at him. "Oh…you still drink that, right?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'm just surprised you remember." Quinn blushed a little. Finn didn't think much of giving her a drink. He was just trying to be a gentleman, something he credits Rachel and Kurt for turning him into.

"So you're a Cheerio again. That must be good." Finn tried to change the subject.

"Yeah…" Quinn spoke slowly "at first I didn't want to because, well, they kind of kicked me out when I needed friends." She said as she instinctively placed a hand over her stomach. "But then I realized how much I actually miss it. I miss practicing and being part of the over-the-top numbers."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Finn reassured her. There was a bit of a silence between the two when Quinn noticed that his attention was on Rachel. Rachel was laughing and dancing as she tried to pop and lock. Quinn rolled her eyes at Finn's dorky smile.

"She seems like she's having a good time." Quinn spoke up, getting Finn's attention.

"You think so?" Finn said. "She was a bit nervous about showing up. I'm glad she did though." The dorky smile returned to his face.

"You really like her, don't you?" Quinn asked stupidly. She didn't know why she had to ask a question that she knew the obvious answer to.

"I do." Finn started. "Why don't you like her? She's one of the few people who didn't make your life hell when you were pregnant."

"I know," Quinn admitted, sounding ashamed of herself. "I'm happy for you Finn, even if it's with Rachel."

"Why do you make it sound like I'm settling for her?" Finn shot back, clearly annoyed.

"I didn't mean it like that…" Quinn started.

"Rachel has always been nice to you. She even let you stay in her house when Mercedes and her family went on vacation during the summer."

"I know…" Quinn was a bit defeated. She knew she should be nicer to Rachel.

"I don't get it. You're like the only one who has a problem with her."

"It's hard for me to see you with _her_." Quinn blurted just loud enough for Finn to hear.

"And who's fault is that Quinn?" He shot back.

Quinn's eyes started to water and she noticed that a few people around them had been glancing over every once in a while. "I'm going to need some fresh air." She stiffened up like she always does. It was a defense mechanism so people wouldn't approach her. She quickly raced out of the house through the back door to get some fresh air. Finn felt his guilt build up inside of him and made his stomach churn. He looked over at Rachel dancing and having a good time, he decided to follow Quinn outside. He didn't want to ruin this for her.

"Quinn…" Finn said as he spotted her sitting on some patio furniture with her back to him.

"I'm fine. Go inside, Finn." She shot back without turning around to look at him.

"I just want some fresh air." He took a seat next to her.

"You're a horrible liar." Quinn replied. Neither one said anything for a few minutes.

He noticed she was crying. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry." He confessed nervously.

"It's my fault." Quinn said as she wiped away her tears. "I don't hate Rachel. I mean I used to, but I don't anymore. My problem isn't with her. It's with me." Quinn felt embarrassed as she looked down at the floor.

"I-I don't follow…" Finn admitted.

"I had my baby and gave her up for adoption. The school year started. I had friends again, I was on the Cheerios and everything was going smooth."

"Good!" Finn smiled. "Things are going back to normal for you."

"And then Mercedes and Brittany insisted that I come to this party." Quinn paused and her demeanor became more somber. "You know that this is my first party to come to alone. The last party I went to was…it was with you." Quinn revealed.

"You and Puck never came to these parties? I saw Puck a few times last year…"

"The pregnant former Cheerleader wasn't welcome anymore." Quinn interrupted as she let out an uneasily laugh out of anxiety. "That didn't stop Puck from going alone."

"Oh," Finn didn't know what to say.

"But that's in the past." Quinn stated with a fake sense of confidence. "I just didn't expect you to show up with Rachel. I know I should have, but a part of me was hoping she wouldn't come."

"She's my girlfriend."

"I haven't forgotten." She snapped back. "I might be on the Cheerios, going to parties with friends, and people might stop talking behind my back as much, but you being with Rachel is a constant reminder that things will _never_ be normal again." She stated while finally looking up at Finn with tearing slowly escaping.

"Being _normal _sucks." Finn blurted out while trying to find comforting words.

Quinn let out a little laugh. "That's so something Rachel would say." She smiled through her tears.

"She's rubbing off on me, I guess." That dorky smile returned.

"I'm sorry, Finn." Quinn admitted while trying to regain her composure. "I know I shouldn't take it out on Rachel. This would've been my issue regardless if you're with Rachel, or some other Cheerio or anyone else. I'm just trying to adjust…"

"Come on, you'll be fine." He stated. "Quinn Fabray is nothing if she's not resilient."

"Oh. My. God." Quinn's eyes shot wide open. "You just used a big word…correctly." She laughed softly.

"That's what I'm saying. This is all Rachel's doing." Finn said with a proud smile.

"It's a bit gross." She said dryly and Finn let out a little laugh.

"So are we good to go inside?" he asked.

Quinn nodded before standing up and Finn followed. She stopped and turned around. "Thank you, Finn." Quinn said softly before giving him a hug. Finn hesitated a bit before wrapping his arms around her for a short hug.

"Rachel won't freak out that you were out here with me, right?" Quinn said a bit nervously as she pulled away.

"No, we trust each other." Finn said with total confidence as he led the way back inside. It's true. Rachel and Finn had been really close over the summer and worked out their problems from the year before. She was over Jesse and he was over Quinn. Rachel and Finn were in a good, solid place.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'm really want to know what you guys think of this chapter. I'd love your reviews telling me what you think so far. Feedback is always wonderful! I'm posting another chapter soon.**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N:**_

_**I told you I'll be updating soon! As I mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter, I'm still focusing on other Gleeks. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Back inside the house, Rachel was getting something to drink while talking to Kurt, Mike and Brittany. Rachel, Kurt, and Mike were all laughing about something that happened at class today and Brittany just politely smiled along.

"What's so funny?" Finn smiled as he approached them with Quinn.

"Nothing." Brittany blurted. "It's one of those things where you had to be there apparently." She added a bit dryly.

"It's nothing." Kurt said. "Somehow, Artie got Azimio kicked out of English class. They might have to suspend him from the next game and I'm pretty sure he almost cried. It was just oh so rich."

"Oh," Finn finally let out since he was clearly missing something.

"Yeah, you had to be there." Kurt deadpanned.

"Where is Artie, anyway?" Finn asked while looking around.

"You did invite him, right Brittany?" Kurt added.

"Um yeah…" She replied a bit nervously. She was a horrible liar.

"His mom told me he's in Cleveland." Quinn elaborated. "Me and Mercedes were going to see if he wanted us to pick him up but she said he's going to a concert."

"Oh…like Santana?" Kurt wondered as Rachel and Brittany had nervous looks on their faces.

Quinn noticed the two girls. "You two know something!" She declared and put Brittany and Rachel on the spot.

"Spill!" Kurt demanded.

"It's nothing." Brittany shrugged, trying to play it off.

"Oh, so there is something!" Kurt added like a giddy school girl. Finn and Mike were lost.

"Are we missing something?" Finn asked while looking over at an equally confused Mike.

"What's going on?" Mercedes and Matt joined the group.

"Santana and Artie are hooking up in Cleveland." Kurt smirked.

"What?" Mercedes exclaimed.

"Way to go, Abrams!" Matt nodded approvingly.

"Kurt!" Rachel exclaimed. "That's not true at all."

"Then tell us what's really going on." Quinn insisted. "Not all of us will exaggerate the truth." She raised an eye brow at Kurt.

"They've been working on their glee club assignments and found that they have a lot in common. She was able to convince his parents to let him go with her to a concert in Cleveland. It's nothing serious, they are just friends. They won't hook up, especially not in her father's house."

"They're just friends." Rachel reiterated. "Everyone here knows how fast rumors spread out, please don't let this get out there. It's nothing."

"We won't." Mike agreed. "Right?"

"We know, we know." Mercedes brushed it off. "We won't talk about Artie and Santana to other people, but we can talk about it among ourselves, right?" Mercedes added.

"Mercedes is right, this is strictly a glee club issue and since all of us know, then we can discuss it freely among ourselves." Kurt added. Did anyone really expect Kurt and Mercedes to keep quiet to each other? They were a bit strange. They would gossip among themselves but they never did any harm with the info they knew.

"Puck and Tina don't know." Finn noticed since the two of them weren't with the group.

"Someone should tell them about the budding romance of Sartie?" Kurt giggled.

"Oh God! They're just friends, Kurt. No need for nicknames." Rachel exclaimed.

"That's ridiculous, Kurt." Quinn added.

"Thank you, Quinn." Rachel smiled.

"Everyone knows they're called Abrez!" Quinn giggled while causing a few laughs.

"No, you guys…I got it." Mercedes spoke up. "Artana!"

"Artana." Matt repeated with a smile.

"I like it. It has a nice ring to it." Finn nodded. "Artana." He said again.

"What the hell is Artana?" Puck said as he and Tina approached the rest of the gleeks from behind, causing everyone to grow a bit nervous.

"Nothing, dude." Finn lied while avoiding eye contact with Tina and Puck.

"Artana?" Tina said with a confused looked on her face. That look quickly faded as she pieced everything together. "Artie and Santana?"

"Where are they?" Puck asked.

"In Cleveland…for a concert. They're just friends." Quinn explained quietly.

"Oh ok," Tina let out a little smile. She didn't know how to feel. She knew that Artie can be with whoever he wants, but she's a bit surprised that he chose Santana, but then again, she's with Puck so she's in no place to judge.

"They're just friends." Rachel said, not knowing if she was meant to reassure Puck or Tina.

"Seriously everyone, don't let this stuff get out there. The last thing we need is Santana pissed off at us for talking behind her back." Brittany said and everyone nodded along in agreement.

"All of you know how she gets when she's mad. I finally got that horrible thing she wrote about me off the bathroom wall." Rachel added. "How she found out that I don't have a gag reflex is beyond me." A few of the guys tried to suppress their laughs.

Later, everyone decided to separate at the party since they were drawing attention from other people. The group broke off with each one doing their own thing. Rachel and Finn were making out somewhere, Mike and Brittany were dancing, and others were just hanging out.

* * *

A short while later, Tina walked out of the upstairs bathroom where she ran into Kurt.

"Hey, come with me." He said as he hooked arms with her and led her into one of the rooms. Quinn and Mercedes were waiting inside.

"What's going on?" Tina asked.

"Listen Tina, we're your friends and we know that it must've been weird for you to be honest in front of everyone downstairs." Mercedes started. "You can be honest with us. Is it bothering you that Artie is with Santana?"

"I have no right to be _bothered_. He can move on with whoever." Tina explained. "I really love Puck." Tina spoke sincerely as she avoided eye contact with Quinn.

"Tina, they're just friends. You and Puck are way more than that." Quinn explained. "I really don't think you should worry."

"Listen, I don't have a problem with Santana. I know me and her are very different. But tell me, when was the last time she was _just_ _friends_ with a guy?" Tina asked. "Rachel and Brittany would like to believe Artie and Santana are just friends, but they're a little naïve."

"So you think they're more than friends?" Kurt questioned as he sat down on the floor. Tina nodded as she sat down on the bed, next to Mercedes.

"I'm sorry," Mercedes let out.

"Don't be!" Tina said rather quickly. "It's just w-when Puck and I started things, I told Artie first because we're friends and I didn't want to spring it on him…"

"So you were expecting the same kind of warning." Kurt concluded.

"Yeah," Tina said sheepishly as she sat down on the bed, next to Mercedes.

"Tina, maybe he didn't tell you anything because there is nothing to tell." Quinn started. "I don't know Artie as much as you three do, but he's always seemed fiercely loyal. I don't think he'd do anything to purposely hurt you, or hurt any of you."

"I guess…" Tina let out.

"Girl, stop giving yourself a headache and making yourself sick." Mercedes spoke up. "Just call him and ask him what's up with him and Santana."

"You think that's smart?" Tina wondered.

"Honey, just call and ask why he didn't come to the party. See what he says." Kurt said casually as he adjusted his hair.

"I don't think Artie and Santana would actually work as a couple. They're too different. It just doesn't seem to click." Quinn reasoned. "I don't think you should call him. What would Puck think if you called Artie?"

"Puck won't get mad if you called your friend." Mercedes explained.

"Call Artie. If he says he's not with Santana, then he's obviously lying and you should be concerned. If he's honest, which he will be because this is Artie that we're talking about, then you have nothing to worry about." Kurt stated with complete confidence in Artie.

Tina picked up his phone and highlighted Artie's name.

"Tina, just call." Mercedes spoke a bit softly. "I don't like seeing you this nervous. He's still Artie. You shouldn't be so nervous around him."

Tina hit the call button. She looked at her phone as it said "Calling Artie" and held the phone to her ear. It rang twice .

"It's ringing." She said as her friends just nodded in response. Tina looked at her phone and frowned as the ringing abruptly stopped. "He ignored my call." She let out softly.

"I'm sorry." Mercedes put her arm around Tina.

"No, don't be." Tina sat up straight with more confidence.

"He could just be at the concert and didn't hear his phone ring." Quinn rationalized. "Or maybe he's a bit busy or something…or sleeping."

"Stop making excuses for him, Quinn." Tina demanded. "He's with Santana and that's fine."

"Tina…" Kurt started, trying to comfort his friend.

"Seriously, it's fine." She smiled weakly. "I won't say I'm not surprised. Quinn's right, they're very different. Just forget this whole thing."

"Are you stringing Puck along?" Quinn questioned Tina, catching her off-guard.

"Excuse me?" Tina shot back.

"Are you over Artie?" Quinn pressed on.

"Yes, this isn't even about that." Tina explained.

"It kind of looks like it."

"Quinn, you have no idea what you're talking about." Tina shot back defensively. "Artie was my first friend at McKinley because we aren't all popular cheerleaders. This isn't about choosing to be with Puck or Artie."

"Then what is it about?"

Tina paused a little bit. "I'm friends with Artie but lately I-I just f-feel like I'm losing my best friend." Tina was tearing up a bit.

"Aw, Tina!" Mercedes gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry." Quinn said nervously, regretting that she was bitchy to the nicest girl in McKinley.

"It's silly." Tina wiped away her tears as the room fell silent. "I trust that _this _whole thing stays between the four of us."

"Of course." Kurt whispered. Tina quickly composed herself while Kurt and Mercedes fixed her makeup. They four of them were able to move on from that sensitive topic and actually cheer up before heading outside of the room. They walked out.

"There you are." Puck said as he approached Tina.

"Girl talk." Kurt told Puck as he, Mercedes and Quinn headed back downstairs to join the rest of the party that was still going strong. Puck and Tina stayed upstairs.

"Are you having a good time?" Puck asked Tina since he knew these parties weren't in her comfort zone.

"I am now." She smiled as she held his hand.

"Good." He whispered as he pulled her closer.

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Remind me." He teased. Before he knew it, Tina pushed him against the wall and gave him a huge, passionate kiss on the lips. She pulled away unexpectedly.

"Let's go downstairs." She said while leaving him wanting more. She held his hand and led him downstairs to join the others. Even though she hated that her friendship with Artie was questionable, she was beyond happy that she's with Puck now. She's not lying when she says she loves him.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I hope everyone liked this chapter and got more insight on the current relationships. I understand that this might feel out of place but I really wanted to set up the dynamics of other relationships now. I won't give any spoilers but I have a very solid idea of where I want Santana and Artie to go in their relationship but I had to develop the rest of the characters as well. No worries- more Santana and Artie coming up soon.**_

_**I love your reviews- they totally motivate me- so as always…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: I finally got this chapter finished. It took me a while- but here it is! Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

The next morning in Cleveland, Santana made it downstairs only to hear some yelling coming from the TV room. It sounded like Artie and her dad. She was already dreading the worse and assumed Michelle opened her big mouth. She took a deep breath before going into the TV room.

"Come on!" Her dad yelled at the TV.

"That's garbage!" Artie also yelled back at the TV. Santana noticed they were watching a soccer game.

"Sorry, San." Her dad said after noticing she was there. "Did we wake you?"

"No, "

"Sorry if our trash talking is too loud. Sal here needs to tone it down a bit." Artie smiled at her.

"Artie, remind me to teach you that saying something is 'garbage' isn't what they mean by trash talking." Santana added dryly. "What are you two watching that has you so worked up?"

"GOOOOOOOAL!" Sal screamed at the TV. She stood there staring at them, waiting for a response. "Oh…sorry." Her dad started again. "Soccer game. Live."

"From Europe." Artie added.

"European league." Her dad completed.

"Almost over." Artie ended. Santana rolled her eyes at the two of them who were so into the game that they couldn't even talk in complete sentences. Santana went into the kitchen and poured some cereal and milk into a bowl. She sent a text to Michelle wanting to know if she said anything to her dad. Luckily, Michelle didn't. After Santana had her breakfast, she went into the TV room as the game was finishing up.

"Who won?" Santana asked as she sat down on the couch.

"Not the team that should've won." Sal replied with a shrug.

"Sorry," she tried to fake an interest.

"What time are you two going to Lima?" Her dad asked. "I don't mind if you two stay another night, but I know both of your mothers are expecting you tonight."

"We're not planning on leaving until 4 or 5." Artie explained as he glanced over to Santana who nodded.

"But we might go out soon." Santana spoke up. "We might as well make the best of the few hours we have left here."

"Good," Sal stated. "I have a tee time at noon but I'll be back before you leave. I can cancel golf today if you two need me for anything."

"No, that's fine." Santana quickly replied.

"Thought so." Her dad added before leaving Artie and Santana alone in the TV room.

"Sorry about earlier. The game was really good and…" Artie was cut off when Santana placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him towards her slightly for a kiss. What can she say? She likes to be in control. The kiss was just a short and sweet kiss on the lips that probably lingered longer than it should have, not that anyone was complaining.

"Wow." Artie mumbled as he pulled away a bit.

"And that's how I say _Good Morning_," Santana teased as she took a place on the couch and he let out a bit of chuckle. "What do you want to do today?"

"I want to take you out…like, on a date." Artie said a bit nervously, as if he was expecting her to say no.

"That would be nice." She said softly with a smile. "What do you have in mind?"

"I have a few ideas." He let out. "Go get ready and we'll leave in like half an hour."

"Sounds good. I just have to change." She said as she got off the couch and went upstairs. Artie went to his room and changed.

* * *

An hour later, the two of them pulled up to the museum and Santana parked the car.

"Can you tell me what we're doing here?" Santana asked. "You can't tell me to drive here without telling my why." She reasoned.

"Let it go. You'll see when we get inside." He said casually. "Just..before we go in, have an open mind. It's definitely not what you're probably used to." He admitted a bit nervously.

"Ok," Santana frowned a bit. She didn't like that he was nervous or how he thought she might not have an open mind. Santana is attracted to Artie when he's more confident.

The two of them made it inside and just as they walked in, Artie noticed Santana's huge smile. He took a deep breath as a sign of relief.

"How did you know about this?" Santana smiled. "I should've known better than to leave you alone with my dad."

"If I knew you liked ballet, then I would've tried to get us into a better show…"

"No, trust me. This is great." She said with a huge smile. "I wanted to see this exhibition and show this weekend, but I thought you would hate it. I mean I know this is probably not your first choice to spend a Saturday…"

"It will be fun." Artie said with fake enthusiasm. The truth is that he didn't know what to expect, but wanted Santana to have a good time. He wasn't going to ruin things by confessing that he doesn't know crap about ballet.

The two of them walked around the exhibition with Santana explaining different things to Artie. To say that she's well-versed would be an understatement. She began explaining techniques and Artie was listening attentively with a smile.

After the two finished with the exhibition and watched a short ballet performance, they left the museum and stopped by a place to get lunch. They got a good table and made their orders, but neither one knew what to talk about.

"Did you have fun?" Santana asked Artie.

"It was nice and different. I won't lie- it wouldn't have been my first choice, but I enjoyed it. You know a lot about ballet."

"I've been taking lessons since I was 4." Santana said casually.

"How come you never mentioned it?"

"I don't know. How come you never mentioned that you're a soccer fan." She answered with a question.

"I asked you first." He smiled.

Santana paused for a bit and took a sip of her water. "I just don't talk about everything I do. I remember Rachel and Jesse practically announcing to the whole glee club every voice or dance lesson they had. Kurt tells everyone what to wear and whatever sales are going on…I just keep some things private."

"Fair enough." Artie shrugged as he sipped his coke.

"How about you? Since when have you been into sports?" Santana asked. "You don't seem like the jock type." She instantly hated how that sounded. She knew people in wheelchairs play/watch sports, but she always knew Artie as a singer/guitarist. "You just always seemed like the musical type." Santana clarified.

"Because that's all you've seen me do." Artie replied casually. It then occurred to Santana that she doesn't know anything about Artie before his accident.

"Oh," she let out weakly, feeling slightly embarrassed. There was this great boy that she liked a lot, sitting in front of her, and he's made more of an effort to get to know her. She can't say the same.

"No worries." He tried to reassure her. "I used to play soccer before my accident. I was really into it and my whole family is actually athletic, but I was the only one into soccer. My dad played college basketball and my older brother plays now for his school."

"Oh cool…how about your younger brother?" Santana asked.

"He's on his middle school team, but I think he's more into track."

"Why did you pick soccer if your whole family is into basketball?" She questioned.

"I didn't want to be compared to my older brother and I just liked soccer more."

"That's cool." She smiled.

"Yeah." Artie sounded a bit defeated. "But soccer is a sport you can't play in a wheelchair, but basketball has it's own leagues for players in wheelchairs." He was staring down at the table while playing with his napkin.

"Do you think of taking it up? I think you'd be good." Santana asked with a smile, trying to cheer him up.

"No, I only want to play soccer because…" Artie stopped and made eye contact with Santana. He wasn't comfortable talking about things that personal. "Forget it." He smiled weakly, hoping she would let it go. He was wrong.

"No, tell me." She insisted as she leaned more on the table. "I told you about my secret ballet lessons."

"Your lessons are hardly a secret. Look at you…you're an awesome dancer." Santana blushed at his compliment. "And you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Neither do you, Artie. So tell me." She continued as she gently put her hands over his, causing him to stop playing with the napkin

A faint smile crept on his face as his attention turned back to that crumpled napkin. He drew in a deep breath before starting. "I was 8 and at one of my soccer games. It had been a really close game and it was our last one for the season. It was starting to drizzle and we were expecting the refs to end the game. The other team's goalie was far from the net and I had an open shot. I was a kid and stupidly excited that I was going to take the shot and win the game. As I was about to take the shot, I slipped on some wet grass and blew the shot horribly." Artie said while finally looking up at Santana. She nodded along, not sure where he's going with this.

"Ok," Santana let out in a whisper.

"My team wasn't really mad because the game at a tie since the rain got much worse and the refs decided to just end it. I was pretty bummed because it was one of the few games my dad actually watched. He came from work and met us at the game. It was a big deal to me because I knew he never really like soccer. I went home with my mom where she tried to cheer me up. She said something about the hundred other games I can play and win…"

"That sounds like something your mom would say…" Santana smiled.

"Usually, yes." Artie paused. "The rain got heavier on the ride home and my mom couldn't swerve away fast enough from that drunk driver…"

Santana realized that Artie was talking about his last soccer game. He couldn't play any other times because his last game was right before the accident. She squeezed his hand and Artie knew he didn't need to continue.

"It's like you keep giving me reasons to just jump over this table and make out with you." Santana said with a smirk.

"What?" Artie was epically confused.

"Not being able to play soccer hasn't stopped you from watching it and getting all enthusiastic for a game. It's just amazing. Most people who would've been in your situation would want nothing to do with soccer or any sport. I've been in crutches for less than a week and didn't want to see anyone dance or cheerlead."

"Yeah?"

"You're strong and resilient and just all kinds of..._hot._" Santana whispered, causing Artie to smile. "It must be some sort of _personal growth_." She added to echo the advice he gave her the first day of school as she leaned over the table and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Ahem!" The older waitress interrupted as she stood there, holding their food. Santana and Artie pulled away. The waitress smiled as she placed their orders in front of them. "So cute." She added, causing Santana to turn red.

It was as simple as that. With Santana being her blatantly honest and inappropriate self, she was able to make Artie feel better. _Feel good_, actually. There was no better way to end their first official date.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I feel we all needed some more Artie and Santana. I actually missed writing them. I also wanted to establish Artie and Santana's relationship further before sending them back to Lima, where there will be some inevitable drama. Please let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: **_

_**Hello Readers! Sorry for the major delay in updating. I lost some motivation, but now i'm more excited to write thanks to season 2! I'm so happy that Glee is back and I loved the "Audition" episode. I won't give away any major spoilers BUT in my opinion, Santana and Artie were screwed over the most. If i was writing the show, i would take this opportunity to have them hook up *sigh***_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Later that day, Santana and Artie made it back to Lima. They spent most of the drive talking or listening to music. The two had clearly grown closer over their weekend. Another bonus for Santana was that she found the perfect song for their glee performance and Artie agreed with her choice. Things went well for the two of them.

On Sunday, Santana and Artie weren't free to spend time together, but Brittany went to Santana's place so they can practice.

"Hi!" Brittany said with a huge smile on her face as Santana opened the door. "I missed you!"

"I was only gone for a night." Santana laughed.

"I know, but Mike had a party and you weren't there so it just didn't feel the same. I just don't think we spend a lot of time together like we usually do…because you're not at Cheerios practice."

"I'll be back at practice soon!" Santana teased.

"Good!" Brittany said. "We have a lot to talk about."

"We have to practice our glee song." Santana tried to stay focused.

"Everyone knows about you and Artie." Brittany blurted out randomly. She couldn't contain herself any longer.

"What?" Santana's jaw hit the floor.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"I just didn't think Artie would be the type to kiss and tell."

"You two kissed?" Brittany exclaimed while turning to a giddy little school girl.

"Yeah…you said everyone knows." Santana was confused, fearing she's revealed more than she needed to.

"Yeah…everyone knows that you two went to Cleveland together. I've been saying you're only friends because well, that's what we thought you two are. Apparently, you made a liar out of me! You two are more than just friends!"

"You can't tell anyone, Brit." Santana stated seriously while taking a spot on the couch. Brittany followed and sat next to her, with a huge smile on her face.

"He's a good kisser, isn't he?" Brittany teased and Santana just blushed while trying not to smile. "I knew it! How did this happen?"

"I don't know, Brit. It was just so easy and natural and so different from anyone else I've been interested in. It wasn't planned or anything. The two of us just got close and before I knew it, I really wanted to kiss him."

"And you always get what you want." Brittany shrugged and Santana let out a little laugh. "So what are you two going to do tomorrow? Are you a new couple or what?"

"Um…." Santana paused. She and Artie didn't really plan that far ahead or talk about their new relationship. She didn't even know if she could call it that. "I don't know if we're a couple, but I like what we have now…."

"Hmm."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Santana questioned.

"It just means…" Brittany stopped as she tried to find the right way to say this. "You know that I love you and I really like Artie, but you can't be very laid back about this because it might mean a lot more to Artie."

"So what should I do?" Santana questioned.

"Talk to him." Brittany replied with confidence. "You two can figure it out."

"Since when did you become such a relationship expert?" She joked.

"Mike always says that communication and listening are…some thing." Brittany blanked. "I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention." She brushed it off carelessly before the two girls finally got to work on their glee assignment.

* * *

That night, while in bed, Santana decided to text Artie because she kept thinking about what Brittany told her.

Santana: U awake? I want to talk. I may have told Brit abt us…kissing.

Artie: Good! Because Kurt somehow tricked me into telling him. I'm sure he told Cedes

Santana: So the whole school knows now!

Artie: No worries. We can talk tomorrow. G'nite.

Santana: Sweet dreams.

It wasn't quite the solution Santana wanted, but she was more comfortable knowing that Artie wasn't as uptight about this as she was.

* * *

The next morning, Santana was standing by her locker when Brittany and Mike walked up to her.

"Good morning!" She said with a smile.

"Congrats! No more crutches!" Mike smiled.

"Yeah, the doctor wants me to take it easy but I should be back at Cheerios practices in a few days." Santana reassured Brittany.

"Good." Brittany said. "We miss you."

"Aw!" Mike teased sarcastically as Santana rolled her eyes.

"Did you hear?" Rachel said while popping out of nowhere. Mercedes and Kurt following her.

"Um, about what?" Santana looked at the three of them. "What's going on?" She frowned a little bit since she hated being out of the loop.

"Jacob's blog…I printed out his latest blog post." Rachel unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Santana. She read the paper before handing it over to Brittany and Mike to read it. Her good mood was shot to hell.

"For the record, we don't believe what comes out of his mouth." Kurt added.

"He thrives on misrepresenting the truth…trust me, I would know." Rachel spoke from vast experience as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Do people really think I'm using Artie just because we went to Cleveland together? Or that I still care about Puck?" Santana slammed her locker shut. "And how did he know about me and Artie going to Cleveland? As far as I know, only glee members knew." She turned to face the five of them. "I thought you could all be trusted."

"Don't pin this on us!" Kurt defended. "Someone at that party may have overheard us talking."

"People finding out about you and Artie shouldn't bother you…unless there is another reason you want to keep this thing with Artie a secret?" Mercedes questioned as she raised her eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Santana defended.

"I'm just saying that what should bother you about this stupid blog is that people think you're using Artie to make Puck and Tina jealous. Trust me, you would hate it if there was any truth behind Jacob's post." Mercedes was fiercely defensive of her friends.

Santana didn't know how to respond to Mercedes. Santana didn't know what others students thought of her being with Artie, but then again she didn't care. In a weird way, Santana appreciated Mercedes brutal honesty. She was glad there was someone in this school brave enough to keep her on her toes. Santana's thoughts were interrupted by Rachel.

"Artie is here. I wonder if he knows." Rachel pointed out as she spotted Artie entering the building.

"Excuse me," Santana finally spoke up and without skipping a beat, Santana brushed past Mercedes towards Artie and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. It was a little bit too inappropriate to be kissing like that in the middle of the busy hallway in front of everyone, but she didn't care. If people were going to talk anyway, then Santana might as well give them something to talk about.

"Hi." Artie said while pulling away from their lip lock and

"Good morning!" She said softly. The two of them made it down the hallway towards Artie's locker and other students eventually stopped staring.

"That had nothing to do with Jacob's latest blog post?" Artie questioned as he grabbed a book out of his locker.

"That's how I always say good morning." She let out a little laugh as she leaned on the locker next to his.

"You did read it though?" Artie didn't let up, causing Santana to take a deep breath.

"I read it and didn't care for it. I like what we have right now." She said before turning and lowering herself so they were eye to eye. "I won't lie to you and say it didn't bother me. It sucked reading that." She whispered as she held his hand. Usually Santana didn't let other people around school see her put her guard down, but of course Artie was the exception.

"Don't get too worked up about it. He will post something else later and everyone will forget about it. I'm sure Rachel will be prancing around in a ridiculously short skirt today and Jacob would dedicate at least 3 new blogs posts to it."

"Thanks." She laughed a bit.

"Let's get to class." Artie added as he squeezed her hand lightly before letting go. The two of them were making their way to his first class.

"I'll see you in study hall." Santana smiled and Artie waved before starting to go into his class. As Santana turned around to walk to her class, it hit her. It was the first time it hit her. The cold and nasty blue liquid crashed into her face and dripped its way down. Santana just received her first ever slushy facial.

Santana wiped the slushy out of her eyes. The feelings of shock and humiliation quickly turned to anger when she saw who did it. "Have you lost your mind, Karofsky? Do you know who I am?" Santana yelled.

"Well you _used_ to be the head Cheerio, but now you're too busy making out with glee losers in wheelchairs." Karofsky sneered as his cavemen friends just laughed along.

Santana quickly glanced around the hallways and noticed everyone staring at her and laughing. They were clearly enjoying this. This is the first time, in a really long time, that Santana was embarrassed so publicly. She gathered herself so no one would see her humiliated and just headed into the girls locker room to clean up.

After Santana cleaned herself up, she decided to just skip the rest of her first period class since she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself by walking in late. She went outside to get some fresh air. She was sitting on the bleachers, watching some students run laps around the football field. It was almost therapeutic watching them run around in circles.

"Why are you out here?" she heard someone ask. She turned around to see Finn walking towards her. She moved her stuff out of the way and he sat down next to her.

"I'm not in the mood for math class." She replied.

He let out a little chuckle. "Your first slushy facial?" His tone turned a bit more serious.

"Yup." She replied while nervously playing with her hair. Even though she was cleaned up, she felt like the slushy was still on her. "It's so embarrassing."

"I'm sorry."

Santana cringed. She knew he was trying to be supportive and a good friend, but she hated any sort of pity. She sat up straight and shook it off. "So why are you out here?" She asked, desperate to change the subject.

"I…um, I got kicked off the football team." Finn revealed.

"Seriously? Why?" She was surprised that someone's day was worse than hers.

"Apparently, I was being subordinate." He shrugged.

"Insubordinate." She corrected.

"Yeah, that." He frowned. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I liked being both in glee and football…"

"Whatever, Finn." Santana spoke blatantly. "You still have friends outside of football. It's not like Rachel or Artie or Kurt are going to stop being your friends because you're not a jock anymore. And plus, you're like a way better singer than quarterback." She practically spat out, regardless of how insensitive she might have sounded.

"Thanks, I think." He let out a little laugh.

"You're very lucky, Finn." She was a bit more toned down now. "You're not defined by one thing like I am. After all my hard work, I'm only known as the questionable captain of the Cheerios."

"Well, the same thing happened to me last year. You can still be in glee club and be a Cheerio."

"I-I know, but…never mind." Santana decided not to elaborate.

"Is this about Artie?" Finn asked, catching Santana off-guard. He was more intuitive than people give him credit for.

"I really, really like him." She couldn't help but smile. "But today is only the first day of us being together and I'm already blasted on Jacob's blog and a slushy in the face. I didn't think being with him would be so hard." Santana revealed as she blushed, clearly embarrassed by admitting that.

"Being with Artie doesn't change the fact that you're like this popular cheerleader."

"Me and you know that, but it seems like everyone else thinks I'm more into glee club now that I'm with him. The truth is that I love being a Cheerio as much as I love being in glee club. They're both exciting and fun and challenging." She spoke earnestly. This was something that was really bothering her.

"Ok, so do both." Finn advised casually. "You're letting a slushy get the best of you. It doesn't matter what Karofsky and his friends think." Finn was pretty much an expert in this area since he had gone through it all.

"Thanks, Finn." Santana replied right before getting up from the bleachers as she noticed people coming on to the field. "I don't want to be late for my second class. I would appreciate it if you keep this between me and you."

"Um yeah, sure." Finn replied with an awkward smile. Santana hurried into the building. She walked in and didn't care that people were staring and whispering about her getting slushied. She went into her classroom to find Artie waiting.

"Hi," he said with a soft smile. "Are you ok?"

"Perfect." She smiled warmly.

"You don't have to lie to me. Everyone is talking about the head Cheerio getting slushied."

"It's nothing new. Quinn got slushied all the time last year." Santana tried to play it off as if it wasn't bothering her. She took a seat next to Artie.

"But she was pregnant and in glee club. She practically had a target pinned to her back." Artie clarified while looking at Santana. "Unless you're pregnant…"

"I'm not!" She defended with a little laugh.

"Then why would they…"

"Artie, just let it go!" Santana declared. She really didn't feel like opening this can of worms with Artie right now.

"I'm not stupid, San. I know you're not ok with this."

"Of course I'm not, but it happened and I'm over it."

"Ok," Artie's face dropped a bit as he turned around to do some homework. There was a short pause before Artie started again. "It's because you're with me, right?" Artie admitted in a quiet voice.

Santana exhaled. "You're relentless!" He just stared at her. "Yes, it's because I'm with you. The same reason Puck got slushied when he was with Rachel."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be!" She defended. There was another pause in the room while Santana tried to find the right words. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting today to be so…bad."

"Do you want to break up with me?" Artie blurted out. "I understand if you do."

"What? No!" She defended. "I just…I'm a bit embarrassed to say this but this is my first real relationship. It's all new to me."

Artie let out a little laugh. "Seriously?" He tried to suppress his smile.

"See, it's embarrassing." She playfully hit his arm.

"I-I just assumed that you've dated before."

"Look at my history. Puck and I weren't really a couple in the traditional sense." Santana was proud of herself for using a better term than sex-buddies to describe her relationship with Puck. "I was with Matt for like 2 days and I dated Finn with Brittany, so that doesn't really count."

"Those are just dates…"

"Yeah," Santana didn't want to tell him that she actually slept with Finn. She was still learning the ropes with having a real boyfriend. "So yes, it's all new to me but I like that you're my first real boyfriend."

Artie turned a bit red. The two of them didn't really define their relationship, but he was clearly happy. Last night and earlier today, he didn't let Santana know that he was nervous about what people might think about the two of them. A part of him was expecting that Santana would ditch him after a rough first day. He realized that Santana is a whole lot more confident and braver than he was giving her credit for because she didn't put her reputation above him.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks and much love to everyone who reads/alerts/reviews! It means the world to me that people are responding postively to this pairing!**_

_**R&R, P&TY**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N:**_

_**First of all, I got some of the best reviews for the last 2 chapters- so thank you to everyone who reads/reviews/alerts. I'm beyond thrilled that this story is getting a good response! Second, did anyone notice the Santana-Artie interaction in the Brittany/Britney episode? It was so small, but I'll take what I can get! I hope everyone likes this chapter. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Still not owning Glee or it's characters.**_

* * *

The next day, Santana walked into school with full confidence while wearing her Cheerios uniform. The doctor (and her mom) allowed her to get back to her regular routine since she had recovered faster than expected. She was good to go. It hit Santana how powerful her uniform really is. Other students were going out of their way to let her pass. She was back on top.

She walked up to Artie's locker and gave him a kiss. "Hi," she spoke softly.

"Hey! You're back on the team!"

"I technically never left the team. The doctor told me it was ok to get back to normal." She clarified.

"That's a-awesome." Artie stuttered unintentionally.

"This won't change _us_." Santana added, needlessly. It sounded like she was saying this just to convince herself.

"I know." He replied. "I'm happy for you."

"You're back!" Brittany said as she pulled Santana in a bear hug.

"Brit! You're hurting me!" Santana struggled out of Brittany's freakishly strong grip.

"I'm just excited you'll be back at practice. We miss you!"

"And they kind of suck without you." Mike joked as Brittany punched his arm. "OW!" he rubbed his arm. "Seriously, how are you so strong?"

"I've gained strength while fighting things off in the sewers." She stated while causing them to laugh. "Seriously, what are you two doing this weekend?" Brittany said.

"Not sure yet." Artie said as he looked over to Santana who was nodding.

"Ok good." Mike replied. "You two will come with us to the movies Friday night."

"That sounds good." Santana replied and Artie agreed. Santana wasn't used to "_dating_" so she was relieved that Mike and Brittany will be going out with them. It took the pressure off for both Artie and Santana.

* * *

It was almost the end of the day. Classes were finished and students had already left the building. Santana was walking back into Cheerios practice, back into her kingdom. Her day was pretty good. People stopped starring at her and Artie together, she didn't get a slushy facial, and there were no blog posts by Jacob. To top it all off, she was back at Cheerios practice. Santana began her stretches with Brittany before Sue Sylvester summoned her over.

Santana went over to the coach, who was talking to Quinn and Becky Jackson. "Yes, Coach Sylvester."

"Welcome back, Santana." Sue began while jotting things down in her clip board.

"Good to be back," Santana smiled, fully aware of how dorky she sounded.

"Becky has been talking to some of the Cheerios. The general consensus among the team is that you have been an absent head cheerleader…"

"They feel that an effective leader is a present leader." Becky let out, sounding like some thing she rehearsed.

"That's because I was injured. You didn't let me on the team." Santana clarified while turning her attention back to her coach. "But now, I'm a 100% so I will be _present_."

"Good," Sue replied while looking up from her clip board. "I don't want to get into old habits like last year and have a flakey head cheerleader." The coach shot a glare over to Quinn. "You and Quinn will be co-captains. It will keep the other girls happy, which means they will perform better, which means I get my seventh national title."

"No!" Santana argued back. "I earned being the head Cheerio!"

"So what?" The coach shot back. "I earned a sixth national title and still had my budget slashed by some French hillbilly football coach. Life isn't fair, ladies! The sooner you learn that lesson, the better equipped you'll be to respond."

"That's kind of vague," Quinn stated with a confused look on her face.

"She's trying to increase competition among the group and keep us all on our toes." Santana looked over at her. "Seriously, how do you not know that? I'm a real captain…I know that." She rolled her eyes.

"You mean co-captain?" Quinn retorted, not liking how she was put on the spot. Quinn walked back to the stands and took a seat next to some of the Cheerios while Sue went to get their music ready.

It took Santana all her willpower not to knock Quinn out. She decided it would look bad in front of the other Cheerios if she beat the crap out of her co-captain. When Santana said she earned the top position on the Cheerios, she meant it. She did her homework, she knows how Sue Sylvester works, and she has what it takes. Santana was furious and desperately needed a release. She looked over to Quinn sitting with some other Cheerios. They were practically fawning over her, like some sort of fan club. This only made Santana madder.

"So news travels fast." Brittany said while approaching Santana.

"I'm sorry." Becky spoke up. "I didn't know Coach Sylvester was going to do that."

"It's ok." Santana lied as she smiled weakly. It was definitely not ok. Becky ran off to the other girls, leaving Brittany and Santana behind. "Is this why you really wanted me back on the Cheerios? Did you know about this?"

"What? No!" Brittany defended. "I mean I knew the girls may have hated you, but let's face it. A lot of girls kind of hate you."

"I know that, but this is just so wrong." Santana complained. "The teen mom is a captain. She didn't even lose all the baby-weight…look at those ankles."

Brittany hated it when Santana was this mean. She knows that Santana tends to get too heated and reacts impulsively. Santana was clearly upset, so Brittany decided to just hold her tongue. Brittany actually felt sorry for Quinn for everything she went through. She is good friends with both girls and decided to just let Santana vent out her frustrations to her than actually let Quinn hear any of this. Brittany might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's one hell of a friend.

* * *

After a grueling Cheerios practice, all the girls were in the locker room packing up their belongings before calling it a day. Santana walked in last and all the girls turned to look at her. They were all expecting a highly deserved verbal beat down by Santana. She knew these girls weren't loyal to her and took any opportunity to get rid of her as their head Cheerio. She saw the same group of girls surrounding Quinn, still hanging on to her every word. Santana was about to rip into the team when her phone beeped. She opened the text message from Artie, read it quickly and sent him a message back. Santana slammed her locker shut, startling the other girls.

Santana left school without a word to any other Cheerios and went straight to Artie's house. She was let in by his housekeeper and directed to Artie's room. She walked in and closed the door behind her. Artie turned around from his desk.

"We need to talk?" Santana said while looking at his text message. "I may not have had a lot of boyfriends, but I know what that means. If you want to break up with…"

"Whoa, Santana!" Artie interrupted with a smile. "You need to slow down. I don't want to break up with you."

"Could your message be any more vague?" Santana questioned with a bit of attitude.

"Why did you talk to Finn about us and not me?" Artie blurted, catching Santana off-guard. "I was talking to him today and he told me. You two were on the bleachers talking…"

"I was there after I got slushied yesterday because I didn't feel like going to class. I didn't think talking to Finn- our friend – would have been such a big deal?" She defended.

"I don't care that you talked to him. You're going to talk to guys and I'm going to talk to girls, but it was _what_ you two talked about that bothers me. I just don't know why you didn't come and talk to me about what was bothering you…" Artie paused a little bit before continuing. "It was embarrassing hearing it from him."

"I-I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think much of it." The last thing Santana wanted to do is hurt Artie. "You should know that I don't express things as much as other girls." Santana confided. "I'm new to this whole thing and like if it was Matt or Kurt or Brittany on the bleachers then I would've told them what I told Finn. I was just so upset and I let it all out to anyone who was there."

"Yeah," Artie now felt bad for sending her that text message. At the time, he was hurt that she talked to someone else other than him. Now that he saw how sensitive Santana really is, he just felt like an ass. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Why are you apologizing?" She looked at him puzzled. "I'm the one who…"

"Forget it, San." He put his hand over hers. "I'm really sorry yesterday sucked for you."

"Thanks." Santana let out a little smile. "Because I really need someone to talk to right now." Santana took a seat on his bed and let out a deep breath. "I don't know if you want to hear about my Cheerios-related politics."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." He smiled back.

Santana took another deep breath and began telling Artie about her horrid first day back on the team. How Sue Sylvester made her and Quinn co-captains and how the other girls dislike her. Artie was definitely surprised by how Santana was revealing everything to him. Earlier with Brittany, Santana was angry. Now that she calmed down, she was genuinely upset.

Artie didn't really know what to say to make her feel better. He tried his hardest not to sound too cliché. "I honestly don't know what to say." Artie blurted out and Santana let out a defeated smile. "I know you're like the best Cheerio so may be you should just show Sue Sylvester that you're better than Quinn. I don't think Sue Sylvester cares what her Cheerios think of her methods. She does what she wants. If you earned this, then show it."

"Hmm," Santana let out.

"Plus, you shouldn't be too hard on Quinn. Earn your position back fairly and that would end any sort of animosity within the team. Showing everyone how awesome you are would just shut them up." Artie spoke with a bit of confidence now. He was happy with his sound and reasonable advice.

"Thanks, Artie." Santana smiled and gave him a short kiss on the lips. She saw how proud he was and she didn't have the heart to tell him that he was so off-base with his advice. Everything he said makes sense, but he naively assumed that the Cheerios and Sue can actually respond to reason. Santana knew better.

The two of them decided to put everything behind them and just focus on their glee club performance for tomorrow. Santana ran through it with Artie a few times before calling it a night. Artie reassured her that it would be fine and that she shouldn't be nervous. He recommended that she takes it easy tonight and not to worry.

Santana went home at night and did not take Artie's advice. She ran through the song for a few hours before calling it a night. Even though Artie was doing most of the singing, this was still her challenge and now, more than ever, she felt like she had to prove herself.

So no, Santana was not going to take it easy.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So...what did everyone think? I hope you guys picked up on the foreshadowing in this chapter. The next few chapters should have more conflict...Santana and Artie can't have a perfect relationship. That would just be boring. **_

_**Also, I'll work in little parts from season 2 in the story only where it makes sense. Personally, I'm furious that they got rid of Matt. They could have totally explored his relationship with Santana. I have no intention of abandoning him! **_

_**I would love to know what everyone thinks about this chapter so...**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N:**_

_**The italics are song lyrics...Let's just jump into the chapter, shall we? **_  
_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee or it's characters!**_

* * *

The next day was glee rehearsal and Santana was eager to finally get the performance over with. She was excited because she secretly wanted to showcase Artie as (her) leading man. She was still a bit nervous, fearing that it could be an epic disaster.

She took a deep breath and went into the auditorium at the end of the day. She made sure everything was set up properly before going backstage. Brittany and Artie were joking around and all decked out in their costumes.

"We got this, San!" Artie boasted after noticing Santana looking a bit nervous.

"The band already did their sound check. Trust me, people are too scared of you to mess this up." Brittany joked.

"Thanks," Santana let out a bit of a smile. Her smile disappeared a bit when she heard other glee members enter the auditorium. Luckily, Mike was the only one who made it backstage to hang out with Brittany.

Artie pulled Santana aside and held her hand. "They're going to hate it." Artie blurted.

"Um… you really know how to make me feel better." Santana said sarcastically with a frown.

"No, that' s not what I mean." Artie laughed. "They're going to hate that we're the first to actually be a real threat Vocal Adrenaline."

"You think we're that good?" Santana was skeptical.

"I know we're that good!" Artie demanded with total in-your-face confidence, causing Santana to let out a little laugh. "We really came together for this. I'm proud of …" Before he could finish, Santana just gave him a kiss. They pulled apart.

"I just wanted to say thanks." Santana smiled.

"Nice outfits, you guys!" Mr. Schuester commented while joining them backstage. "Everyone is here, so we're ready when you are."

"We're ready." Artie said with a nod.

"Good," Mr. Schuester added as he and Mike took their seats with the others.

"You're missing your head piece." Santana threw it on Artie's lap.

"Do I really have to wear this?" Artie pleaded.

"I didn't steal this from Kurt so you don't wear it." Santana was half serious. She made sure Artie wore it to complete the look. She adjusted his had piece and also unbuttoned the top 2 buttons of his shirt.

"We're not the only ones showing skin today!" Brittany joked causing Artie to blush.

"Let's show them what you got, baby!" Santana said with a smile as she led the way to the stage. The curtain was still closed. Artie was in the front and center with his guitar, Brittany and Santana were on stage left and a bit behind Artie, and the band was on the other side of the stage. The band was there, ready to go and wearing the outfits Santana picked out. It wasn't anything over the top, but she wanted everyone to at least be matching. She wanted (needed) this to be perfect.

From day one, Santana said that glee club had to go big or go home. She had to deliver that message right now. As the stage curtain pulled apart, the band and Artie began playing while Brittany and Santana started with the choreography. There was nothing slow about the performance and that's what Santana wanted. She wanted them to hit the floor running.

The hardest part of the performance was picking a song. After thinking long and hard, and driving Artie crazy with numerous options, she finally decided on _Fury_ by Prince. She studied the music video meticulously and reworked it for a show-stopping glee club piece. Once Santana picked the song, everything kind of fell into place.

She knew it wasn't the most popular song but certain lyrics spoke out to her. At first, Santana thought she picked a fun song to perform. When she started rehearsing, the lyrics took on a different meaning. She put on her best show-face during the performance, but she couldn't escape the deeper meanings to the words. Different parts of the song described different aspects in Santana's relationships- past, present, and future.

There were lyrics that spoke exactly at how she felt about Artie:

_You must have heard it on the news this morning  
__Congratulations! A new star is born_

And lyrics that perfectly described what others at McKinley thought about her:

_Sun to a shadow, rose to a thorn  
__There ain't no fury like a woman scorned  
__Y'all must have dug it, when you did your thang  
__It's like a song, everybody wanna sang  
__When the music's over, your ears ring  
__With a voice that's saying, "Queen got no King!"_

And Santana's unspoken relationship with Tina:

_You feel left out, but you need to understand  
__Word on the street - he's still your man __(he's still your man)_

Santana's past with Puck and Finn.

_Look out, here comes your rainy day  
__Now you think you got a good reason to say  
__Everything that's in your heart, come what may  
__Even though his might get broken_

_Who's the guilty one when there ain't no judge or jury?  
__Shadow to the sun, next to the one  
__Hell ain't got no fury_

An ominous questioning about the future of Santana/Artie, Puck/Tina, and Finn/Rachel.

_Will this song have a happy ending?  
__Will his heart need a-mending?  
__What's the name? Only she knows  
__Only the woman knows, only she knows..._

And most importantly, lyrics at how Santana views herself:

_Two sides to every story  
__One man's gloom is another man's glory  
__Sun to a shadow, rose to a thorn  
__Ain't no fury like a woman scorned  
__Ain't no fury like a woman scorned  
___

_No fury like a woman scorned_

* * *

Before Santana knew it, the performance ended. Technically, the performance was amazing. Santana was confident with thinking that. Brittany and her executed the dancing perfectly, the band really stepped up their game, and finally Artie killed it with his guitar skills and amazing vocals.

She was afraid that everyone picked up on the subtleties of the lyrics- she didn't want her past and reputation to be the issue when their performance was supposed to be the focus. Santana took in a deep breath as she expected the worse.

After all, what's the other way to explain the complete silence in the auditorium.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So...what did everyone think? I was a bit nervous using song lyrics in the story because at times they feel very out of place. Was it easy to follow?I hope I didn't drop the ball with this. I also know that so many of you enjoy cliffhangers. I hope this one kept you wanting more! **_

_**If you're curious about what the performance looked like, Prince's Fury video is all over the internet- look it up and see how amazing this song would really be if they actually performed it!**_

_**I wanted to make this chapter mostly the performance so it stands a bit on its own and serves as bit of a turning point in the story. I'd love to hear what you think, so as always...**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N:**_

_**Hello readers! Sorry for the long delay in updating. I'll keep this note short and the one on the bottom will be a bit longer. With that being said…Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

Santana, Artie and Brittany were on the stage and the lights turned back to normal. They saw the rest of the glee club scattered around the same area. Santana shifted nervously, waiting for someone to say something.

"That was…" Mr. Schuester stared before being cut off.

"Amazing!" Kurt interrupted.

"I personally feel cheated!" Rachel declared.

"Here we go…" Puck moaned as a few others rolled their eyes or sighed, expecting one of Rachel's long-winded critiques.

"We've been in glee club for over a year and we're seeing all of this now? Where have you three been hiding all that talent?" Rachel added. "I feel like we've all missed out on a year's worth of spectacular performances. I expect all future performances to be at this level from now on."

"I think she means she likes it." Finn clarified with a smile.

"Girls, your choreography was on point, as usual. But, Artie, boy…you killed it!" Mercedes spoke up with her notorious sass. A bunch of others cheered her on.

"Thank you, mama!" Artie smiled.

"I really have to hand it to you guys. That was a very impressive performance." Mr. Schuester started.

"It was all Santana's work." Brittany blurted out.

"Yup!" Artie quickly agreed.

"Well, that was very well done, Santana." Mr. Schuester congratulated them. He went on to give everyone another assignment for the week. After seeing what Santana, Artie, and Brittany can achieve in a week, he had high expectations. Santana couldn't help but feel a bit proud that she helped set the bar pretty high.

* * *

The rest of the week was pretty smooth. It seemed like the glee club really came together trying to produce really great performances. It was now Friday and school just let out.

"The movie starts at 9, so I'll see you at there at around 8:30." Artie stated as he rolled up next to Santana. She was sitting at one of the outside tables where they eat lunch.

"Sounds good. Hopefully, Sue won't keep us at Cheerios practice too long. I'd like to look alive tonight."

"You don't have to worry about that…" Artie began and Santana smiled. "Yeah, the movies are dark so no one will notice if you look like a mess…" Artie explained casually as Santana shot him a look. "Oh, that's not how I meant it." He tried to quickly correct himself "I mean you shouldn't worry not looking your best because no one will see how bad you look." Artie tried to explain while further sticking his foot in his mouth.

"Ok…"Santana placed a finger over his mouth to stop him from talking and smiled. "I'm running late for practice, but later I'm going to explain all the wrong things you just said."

"I'm kidding." Artie explained with a laugh.. "I know you never look bad. Seriously, look at you…even when you were in crutches, you turned heads."

"There you go!" Santana said as she gave him a little kiss on the lips before hurrying off to Cheerios practice. Artie was about to leave school when Puck caught up to him.

"You two seem to be hitting it off." Puck stated while walking along side Artie.

"Yeah…" Artie said indifferently.

"It was a bit surprising. I didn't think you and Santana would hook up." Puck added casually.

"Yeah, well things change."

"You're right. No one thought me and Tina would work out, but here we are..." Puck boasted.

"Yeah, until Tina finds out that you made out with Santana after you got into a fight with her." Artie stopped as Puck turned to face Artie. There was a bit of a pause between the two of them.

"Santana told you?" Puck asked after everything registered. "Why haven't you told Tina, yet?"

"Santana asked me not to." He admitted. "If you know what's good for you, you should really tell Tina."

"What's the point? She doesn't need to know." Puck shrugged, trying to play it off as if it's no big deal. "You're with Santana and both of you seem happy. I'm with Tina and we're in a good place. Why ruin it?"

"Santana and I are honest with each other. Don't you think you owe it to Tina to be honest with her? Of course she's going to be pissed, but at least she'll respect you for being honest." Artie didn't mean to sound preachy, but he was still friends with Tina, so looks out for her. He believes that she'd do the same thing.

"You think so?"

"It's better if she hears it from you than from someone else." Artie reasoned. "I have to go. Just think about what I said." Artie added before heading off.

* * *

While Artie and Puck were talking about Tina, Santana was in the locker room, getting ready for practice. Two sophomore Cheerios approached her. Santana refused to remember their names since names were personal and she practically wanted nothing to do with these girls outside of Cheerios practice. She just called them Six and Seven, based on their positions in the pyramid.

"Well, it's good to have you back on the Cheerios." Seven uttered in a snide way.

"I'm pretty sure not everyone feels that way." Santana replied bitterly, knowing that those two girls don't like her and were absolutely fake.

"Well, we just wanted to see if you're coming to my party tonight." Six, the redhead Cheerio, replied. Santana hated these two girls. They were a cheaper, wannabe version of Santana and Brittany.

"It's just a get together for the Cheerios and football team." Seven emphasized. Santana could read her like a book and she knew that these girls meant that she can't bring Artie.

"I have plans." Santana hardly acknowledged them.

"Oh right, Brittany told us about the movie. We forgot." Six played dumb."Well at least one captain will be there." Santana forced a weak smile, not allowing to show the girls that they pushed a button.

"If you change your mind, everyone will be there at around 7:30. Still plenty of time to make it to your movie." Seven explained.

"We like you, Santana." Six blatantly lied. "And let me put it this way: we highly recommend you come if you don't want to be further marginalized by the Cheerios." She added with a shrug.

"You're standing is already questionable and we'd hate to see you lose everything when you've clearly worked so hard to get to this position." Seven added. "I hope you're not mad that we're being honest with you, but we felt that you should know this."

"You said 7:30, right?" Santana asked as she began texting. She sent a text to Artie telling him she'd be at the movies a bit later than 8:30 because something came up. She put her phone back in the locker with the rest of her things. "Don't be late for practice. Also, Quinn might let it slide, but I noticed your knees twitch in the pyramid. I'd hate to see you become lower than where you already are." Santana shot back. If these two girls thought they could out-bitch Santana, then they had another thing coming.

Santana stormed off. "I hate her." One of the girls muttered as the other giggled. They heard the phone in Santana's locker beep. "It looks like she didn't close her locker…it would be a shame if someone went through her things." Six suggested with a smirk.

"We'll take care of that for her." Seven said. The two girls read Artie's reply to Santana's message. They quickly sent him a reply while pretending to be Santana, of course.

"Oops, I deleted the message." Six snickered. "If it's important, he'll text again."

* * *

After Cheerios practice, Santana and Brittany were walking out of the girls locker room and about to leave, when they spotted Finn and Rachel arguing.

"We should give them some privacy." Santana whispered.

"They might need some friends right now." Brittany was always looking out for others. Santana smiled.

"Finn, just stop!" Rachel demanded. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Nothing happened. We were at the party, talking…you were dancing with your friends."

"There's a picture of you two together doing more than talking."

"So now you don't believe me?"

"You weren't _just talking_." Rachel insisted.

"Quinn gave me a hug…it was just a hug. It was nothing." He argued back. "You can be so uptight sometimes…you're exhausting." Finn shot back, clearly getting angry.

"Ok…" Rachel's eyes began to water and her expression softened. She knew that she could be a bit much some times, but she was genuinely working on it. She spotted Santana and Brittany nearby, so she made her way over to them.

"Everything ok, Berry?" Santana asked.

"Can I just get a ride home with one of you?" Rachel spoke, trying her best not to cry.

"You're on my way. I'll drop you off." Brittany offered as she led Rachel out of the school, leaving Santana and Finn alone.

"What was that all about?" Santana asked Finn.

"At Brittany and Mike's party last weekend, Quinn and I talked for a bit."

"So…"

"People said we were making out…that Jacob kid is really ruining my life with his blog. He has a picture of me and Quinn together, apparently. What was I supposed to do? She gave me a hug."

"Was that all?" Santana questioned.

"Yes!" Finn defended. "I really love Rachel. I wouldn't do that to her." Finn spoke earnestly.

Santana tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. She hated all that emotional fluff. "Berry has always been a drama-queen. Give her some time to calm down, then talk to her. If nothing happened, then I'm sure Quinn would talk to her too and tell her it was just some misunderstanding."

"You think so?"

"Well, what else can you really do? it's not like she wants to see you right now. You totally messed up."

"It was just a hug." Finn emphasized.

"I like to think that you're smarter than this, but some times I can't be so sure." Santana explained.  
"You hugged Quinn of all people and Berry is insecure about being with you." Santana was waiting for some sort of response from Finn, but he only had that blank look on his face. Santana sighed. "You really don't know this by now?"

"I know it hasn't been easy for her…"

Santana cut him off, not wanting to waste any more time talking about Finn and Rachel. "Give her some space and then she'll go back to being normal…or at least her version of normal. Before you know it, she'll be throwing herself all over you. It's a bit disgusting." Santana cringed as she walked off. Regardless of how bitchy she sounded, Santana knew she was right.

Plus, it's kind of felt good to help people.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Ok so first of all- A huge thank you to everyone who reviews and alerts. It makes my day. I also love when people just discover this story. It feels great that the number of readers is growing and there is more feedback from readers. I love it!**_

_**Second- Can we talk about the Duets episode? It was an overall great episode. I love bitchy Santana. She makes my day BUT I had a really hard time writing when she was bitchy to Artie.**_

_**Finally, I hope everyone reviews this chapter. Let me know what you think. Expect another update soon…like real soon.**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N:**_

_**Here's another chapter…Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or it's characters.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Shortly after 7:30, Santana pulled up to the Cheerio's house for the party. She usually was never on time to these parties, but this was a very special circumstance since she had somewhere much better to be. Santana convinced herself that this wasn't really a party, more of a little gathering. She decided not to dwell on the fact that these little get-togethers have a history of turning into parties that turn into people getting into fights and end up with cops being called.

She looked at the time and thought that she could leave the party at 8:15 and make it to the movies by 8:45. She'd tell Artie where she really was later. She was embarrassed that these girls thought they could trick her into coming to a party. In reality, she's not phased by what they think, but she knows she has play both sides. As much as she enjoys glee club, (it is the best part of her day after all) she also loves the Cheerios. Santana hates to be in this situation, but she has no choice but to go back and forth between glee club and Cheerios. This is exactly what she is doing.

As soon as she walked into the house, she instantly regretted showing up. Not a lot of people were there, except for a few Cheerios and hockey players. Santana walked over to the girls. "I thought it was just football players and Cheerios." She made it clear that she didn't like being lied to.

"The hockey team isn't so bad." Six shrugged.

"Where's Quinn?" Santana asked while completely ignoring the girl.

"She'll be here soon." Seven replied. "Have a drink. Relax." She added as she handed her a bottle of some fruity alcoholic drink.

"Those drinks have empty calories." Santana said as she looked them up and down. "Just keep that in mind." She walked away to find some people she could actually bear to be around for longer than 5 minutes.

After hanging out with a few friends, Santana was getting ready to leave when she spotted Finn, Puck, and Matt joking around with some Cheerios and other guys on the football team. Santana didn't realize how quickly the house seemed to fill up.

"Santana, what are you doing here?" Matt asked. As she walked over to them, the girls moved away from the guys. Santana kind of had that effect on girls.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the movies with everyone?" Finn asked.

"I'm about to leave actually." She answered, a bit confused. "Who is at the movies? I thought it was just Brit, Mike and Artie."

"Rachel and Kurt decided to go. Rachel cancelled on him." Matt pointed towards Finn with a bit of a laugh.

"Tina and Mercedes are there too." Puck explained.

"And you're here at a party…with Quinn…again." Santana addressed Finn as she looked over at Quinn who had just walked into the house.

"So now I can't even be in the same room as her?" Finn was getting a bit frustrated with all of these dating rules.

"Yeah, San." Matt spoke up. "She's not here alone. It looks like big-lips is keeping her company." He nodded over at her direction to see Quinn and Sam in the midst of a make-out session.

"She moves fast. Good for her." Santana shrugged as she decided to leave. Santana looked around before leaving and saw other girls anxious for her to leave so they can go back to flirting with Finn, Puck and Matt. She rolled her eyes at how desperate some girls really were. "Listen, I think you guys should come with us to the movies." Santana suggested.

"Why?" Matt asked.

"Because Finn and Puck are stupid to be here without their girlfriends." Santana added.

"You're not here with Artie." Puck defended, not liking that they were singled out.

"Why do you think I'm leaving?" She answered curtly.

"You're leaving?" Sam asked as he approached them while holding Quinn's hand.

"I thought everyone would be here." Quinn stated.

"They're at the movies. Those Cheerios made it clear that they weren't interested in having anyone else here." Santana explained. "We're going to the movies, if you want to come." Santana mumbled, hoping Quinn would say no.

"This is Sam's first party…" Quinn explained.

"Ever?" Matt asked.

"No, but the first one with girls." Sam answered

"He went to an all-boys school." Quinn added.

"I'm running late, so who's coming?" Santana asked, deciding to cut this short after realizing she didn't really care to learn more about Sam's history.

"We're coming." Puck said in reference to him and Finn.

"All of you are leaving?" Quinn asked. She was expecting people to stay. Even though she was working her way back up the social strata in McKinley, she was still insecure around Cheerios and jocks since they were the first to turn their backs on her.

"I'm staying here." Matt said as he shot Santana a little smile.

"Dude, you drove us here." Finn explained.

"San, can you…" Matt began to ask if she can drive them.

"Yeah." Santana cut him off. "Let's go." She led the way to her car, with Puck and Finn following. Quinn, Sam, and Matt were left at the party.

Quinn pulled Matt aside. "I'm glad you stayed back." She whispered. "I don't know if I would've been comfortable here…alone."

"You're with Sam." He whispered back.

"Yeah, he seems nice but I've only known him for a few days and just…thanks for staying." She finally added. Quinn wasn't really close to Matt, but a familiar face was good to have around.

"Don't worry about it." Matt smiled.

* * *

Santana led Puck and Finn to her car. "This is your car?" Puck asked.

"Shotgun!" Finn yelled. "There's no way I can fit in that backseat."

"You think I can?" Puck argued.

"To be fair, Finn called shotgun first." Santana smirked as she got into the driver's seat of her two-door sports car. Once Puck and Finn got in the car, Santana sped off.

"Slow down…we have plenty of t-time." Finn spoke nervously.

"I know but now we have to get you two tickets. Artie and Brit aren't answering their phones for me to tell them you two are coming." Santana explained.

"It doesn't start for another 45 minutes, so slow down." Puck explained. Santana hit the brakes at the red light and bought the car to a stop.

"Fine." She let out.

"This backseat is like a death trap." Puck added while he shifted in his seat, trying to get more comfortable.

"We should really swing by Tina's house so Puck can find his balls." Santana shot back as Finn laughed. "Seriously, what's with all the complaining?"

"Santana, you were going pretty fast." Finn defended Puck.

"How long have you had this car? You never drive it to school." Puck added.

"That's because the last time someone drove a nice car to school, Mercedes threw a rock through the windshield." She explained with a little laugh.

"It's a sweet ride…" Finn said while playing with the sound system. Santana flicked his hand away. Finn was like a kid in a candy store.

"What can I say? My dad spoils me." Santana lied. She wasn't stupid. She knew that the only reason her dad bought her this car was because he felt bad for missing out on a whole bunch of Cheerios tournaments, dance recitals, and glee shows.

"Can Artie even get into this car?" Puck asked, not intending to sound mean. It was an honest question that Santana hadn't considered. "I don't think it's wheelchair friendly."

"But I am, and that's all that matters." Santana shot back with a smirk as she looked at Puck through the rear-view mirror. Puck rolled his eyes, completely calling her bluff. The truth is Santana didn't think about Artie getting into her car and tried to hide that she felt horrible. There were some things she still had to get used to.

* * *

Once Santana, Finn and Puck made it to the movies, they were looking for everyone.

"I can't find them." Santana said.

"That's because the movie started at 8." Puck pointed to the movie information on the screen behind the ticket counter. "And it's sold out."

"No, Brittany said it was at 9…" Santana glanced at her watch. She went over to the usher outside the screening room. "Hi, my friends are inside and they have my ticket."

"I'm sorry, but the movie already started. I need to see your ticket to let you in." The usher insisted. Santana explained the whole situation to him, but he couldn't do anything. Clearly frustrated, she walked over to Puck and Finn who had left her alone to argue.

"He wasn't going to let you in without a ticket." Finn stated the obvious.

"I have a ticket, but it's with Artie…inside. And why did Brittany say the movie is at 9?" She let out a deep breath as she ran her hand through her hair. She hated that she was spending a better part of her Friday night with Finn and Puck instead of Artie.

"Don't worry, we'll wait till they come out. The movie should be done in like an hour or something."

"Can't you call them to come and get you?" Puck asked.

"I tried, but none of them are answering." Santana replied am.

"That's because Rachel has them turn off their phones. She says something about it being rude…" Finn shrugged as Santana rolled her eyes. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat." Finn stated as he and Puck led the way to some restaurant across of the theater and Santana begrudgingly followed.

This was not how Santana wanted her weekend to start off. She took a deep breath and just hoped for the best. Artie would understand…

Right?

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So I worked Matt and Sam into these chapters a bit more. It all serves to develop Santana and Artie more. Let me know what you think (hint: that means you should review!) And as always…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N:**_

_**Another update. There will be times throughout this story where it might feel like the focus isn't on Artie and Santana, but trust me, it will always come back to them! This chapter focuses a bit more on Santana. Nonetheless, enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee or it's characters**_

* * *

Finn, Puck, and Santana took a seat at the table, with both guys across of Santana. She constantly told herself that this night will only get better.

"You had a good reason to miss the movie. You didn't know when it would start. It sucks but there will be other movies to see." Finn said as he flipped through the menu.

"I didn't even want to go to that stupid party." Santana mentioned.

"Then why did you go?" Finn asked.

Santana didn't feel like explaining details to Puck and Finn. It's not like they're the easiest people to talk to. "Cheerios politics, mostly." Santana finally expressed.

"Because Quinn would be there and she could steal your spotlight as head Cheerio." Puck added with a smirk. She hated Puck right now, or at least she hated that he was right.

"I'm not threatened by Quinn. While she was busy being pregnant, I…" Santana paused "Never mind." She decided it wasn't worth her time to explain how hard she worked for the team.

"You're really not threatened? She's head cheerleader again and hooking up with quarterback…again. Old habits die hard." Puck stated casually.

"If that's the case, then Sam's days are numbered. It's just a matter of time before you get Quinn pregnant again." Santana shot back. "Old habits…" She mocked Puck as the waiter came to take their order.

Finn desperately needed to lighten things up to get rid of the mounting tension between Puck and Santana. "So, how long have Quinn and Sam been together?" He interrupted.

"An hour? I don't know." Santana answered sarcastically.

"I think Matt likes Quinn." Finn explained as he sipped on his drink.

"Obviously! Why else would he stay at a party if none of us are there? He totally wants her." Puck added while Santana tried to suppress her laughter.

"What's so funny?" Finn asked.

"Nothing," Santana gathered her composure. "You're right. They should totally hook up. He's so her type." She added with ridiculously fake enthusiasm.

"She's bitchy because it would suck for her if another guy goes from her to Quinn." Puck added. Santana didn't reveal how much his words actually stung. She only dated Matt for a few days; about as long as Puck dated Rachel. She didn't tell Puck the details of their relationship because it was complicated. Nonetheless, Santana and Matt are on good terms. They're just friends.

"Man, that's out of line." Finn spoke up for Santana, which took her by surprise.

"When does this movie finish? I can't believe this is how my night is turning out." Santana changed the subject.

"Artie would understand you ditched him to go to a Cheerio's party." Puck was still getting on Santana's nerves and really knew how to push her buttons.

"He knows you were at the party, right?" Finn questioned.

"Not exactly." Santana confided. She was embarrassed sharing this with Finn and Puck.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Finn blurted out.

"First, don't call me _dude_." She said. "Second, I fully plan on telling him where I was…"

"Artie told me today that you two were honest about _everything_." Puck interrupted. "Too bad you made a liar out of him."

Santana didn't know what to say. She was tempted to punch Puck, preferably in the face. He richly deserved it. Lucky for him, the waiter arrived with their orders.

"When did you talk to Artie?" She asked Puck. "And why did you talk about me?"

"Dude, guys don't gossip like girls do." Puck shrugged as he bit into his sandwich. Santana was disgusted and, slightly jealous at what teenage boys can eat. She tried to stay focused on what they could've possibly talked about, ignoring that she was called dude again.

"Why didn't you tell him where you were?" Finn questioned.

"I sent him a text saying I'd be late."

"What did he say?" Puck added.

"Nothing actually…" Santana looked through her phone again.

"Uh-oh." Finn said as he sipped his drink to clear his throat. Santana felt a bit uneasy.

"As far as you know he might not have read that message and thinks you stood him up." Puck clarified.

"I'm sure he got my text." She reasoned.

"Then why didn't he reply or call you?"

"You're like smart. Don't most girls know things like this about boys and like relationship stuff." Finn eloquently stated.

"Santana isn't most girls." Puck teased with a smirk.

"You're right." Santana answered Puck. "Believe it or not, Artie is like my first real boyfriend. I don't know all _this_ relationship stuff."

"Oh," Finn let out. "But you and Puck were dating…"

"Sex isn't dating." She quickly interrupted, only looking at Finn. "What me and him had wasn't…real. It didn't mean anything. It was nothing." Santana didn't realize how saying all of this out loud was like removing a huge weight off her chest. This was the closest thing she had for closure with Puck and it felt good. Damn good.

Puck didn't know why Santana's words hit a nerve. He realized that it was guilt for how he treated Santana. He knew that the two of them weren't a normal high school couple, but it stung that she called their relationship _nothing _and that it _wasn't real_.

The three of them didn't talk much afterwards. Puck and Finn would joke around about stuff, but Santana was thinking about why Artie didn't reply. The movie was almost over so the three of them paid and headed over to the movies. After paying, Finn went to the washroom. Puck and Santana left before him.

"San, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Puck admitted.

"For what?" She asked suspiciously. It wasn't like him to apologize.

"Well, I probably owe you more than one apology. I'll start by saying I'm sorry for tonight."

"I am honestly at a loss for words." Santana laughed.

"You can just accept it." He let out a little smile.

"I should, but like why are you apologizing? There's a lot you should probably be apologizing for, why now?"

"Come on, San." Puck let out a deep breath. "I'm not good with these kinds of talks. You should just be freakin' happy that I'm actually apologizing for once." He pleaded.

Santana looked at him and her expression softened. "It's Quinn right? I saw how you were looking at her with Sam. You're so not over her."

"How do you do that? You can get in my head and it freaks me out." Puck added.

"Trust me, I did not want to spend a better part of my Friday night with Finn and you. I actually thought you should come to the movies so you don't stay there, drink, get in a fight, and then have Tina break up with you because you end up in juvy...again."

"So you were looking out for me?" He turned to face her with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh, please! Don't be so surprised. I'm the bigger person here." She joked before her expression turned a bit more serious. "What are you doing with Tina if you're not over Quinn? It's not fair to Tina or yourself."

"So now you're looking out for Tina?"

"You might not believe me, but I don't hate her." Santana's response was honest. "I hate how corny I'm about to sound, but like she's kind of good for you. I mean you're much less of a fuck up these days." A part of Santana believes that Puck with Tina is easier to accept than Puck with Quinn.

"We'll see." Puck added. "Artie thinks I should tell Tina about what happened between us."

"Is that what you two talked about?" She asked and Puck nodded. "I don't know what to tell you. I was hoping it would just disappear."

"Why? Artie knows and you two are still together. I don't see how things will turn out badly for you. She's the one who will probably leave me." He revealed what was really bothering him today. He knew he had to be honest with Tina and then he saw Quinn move on and realized he wasn't completely over her.

"The first day of school when I found out about you and Tina, I promised myself not to get in the middle of it. Whatever you tell them, it will look like I'm the one who did all of this. As if I seduced you or something."

"It was my fault what happened. I shouldn't have been at your place in the first place…"

"We both know that's not how people will choose to believe it." Santana confided as she let out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, San. I have to tell Tina." Puck admitted.

"Thanks for waiting, guys!" Finn yelled from behind as he lightly jogged to catch up to them. "I was looking for you guys for like 10 minutes."

"Sorry, Finn." Santana let out a little smile as the three of them made it halfway through the movie theater parking lot.

"There you are!" Brittany yelled. "Where were you? The movie started at 8!"

"I know that now!" Santana answered back.

"What are you doing here, Finn?" Rachel blurted out.

"I…" Finn began before being cut off by Kurt.

"As much as I would to love see Rachel tear Finn a new one, I'm certain this is neither the time nor place. Should I remind everyone that we are standing in a parking lot?"

"He's just a bit jumpy because half the characters in the movie get killed in a parking lot." Mike explained.

"We can go to my place. My mom's working the night shift." Finn suggested.

"Sounds good." Mercedes suggested.

"I'm not going." Rachel stated defiantly.

"Come on, princess." Mercedes grabbed her hand and led her to Kurt's car. "We'll talk to her." Mercedes addressed Finn while dragging Rachel. Kurt followed and Artie left without saying anything to Santana.

This was not how her night was supposed to be. And it wasn't getting any better.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Not sure what to say in this note except…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Everyone was at Finn's house except for Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt. Santana walked into the house and made it to the TV room, with each person doing their own thing. Mike and Artie were in the middle of an Xbox game. Brittany and Tina were distracting them while they were playing, trying to get someone to lose. Puck and Finn were in the kitchen.

Santana hated that Artie was ignoring her. In his defense, he wasn't ignoring her but he wasn't going to be the first to talk. He's kind of stubborn that way. She took a deep breath. "Artie, can we go outside?" You had to admire her for being straightforward. She wanted everything cleared up.

"I'm kind of busy." Artie didn't even look at her and kept his eyes on the screen. Santana isn't used to being ignored, especially in front of everyone. She's also used to getting what she wants. This was a different change of pace. The tone of the room changed and the focus had shifted to Artie and Santana. Mike put the game on pause and the room fell silent.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked as he walked in with Mercedes and Rachel behind him. No one answered him.

"Is everything ok?" Mercedes asked.

"Yeah, fine." Artie started. "Un-pause the game." he demanded. Mike reluctantly continued the game. Brittany and Kurt walked over to Santana after everyone tried to ignore what happened.

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk right now." Brittany whispered.

"I didn't know the movie was at 8. I didn't get a call or a text…nothing."

"It was my fault." Brittany said. "I looked online and the movie was playing at 9 at a different theater. See this is why I don't use computers." She spaced off a bit.

"He said you sent you a text." Kurt whispered as he was puzzled but this huge case of bad communication.

"I got nothing from him." She whispered back. "Forget it, I'm going home. This night wasn't supposed to be like this." Santana looked over to see Tina and Puck talking to Artie while he was still playing that game with Mike. She couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Santana, if you're leaving, can you drop me off?" Rachel interrupted. "I don't want to be here."

"Can we go and get some fresh air instead? Just to calm everything down." Brittany suggested.

"Good idea," Kurt added. The four of them went outside to the backyard to get some fresh air. Finn was about to follow them but fortunately, Mercedes stopped him by standing in his way.

"Um, excuse me Mercedes." Finn said trying to bypass her.

"Listen vanilla, give my girl a little space for a bit. Kurt will talk to her and tell her to listen to you. She's upset about a whole lot of things."

"Why doesn't she trust me? This is all way too much." Finn vented.

"Ok, so here's the deal: You need to stop saying that she's _exhausting_ or _too much_ or _uptight_. The more you say stuff like that, the harder it is for her to trust you. Her last relationship with Jesse worked because she was pretty much with straight male-version of herself."

"Uh, did she forget that Jesse broke up with her and embarrassed her in front of everyone?"

"Just because you don't throw eggs at her, it doesn't mean you can't hurt her." Mercedes snapped back.

"I didn't mean to hurt her. I just want to talk to her." Finn admitted.

"Ok, you wait inside for a bit and let me go outside to work my magic." Mercedes said as she walked out to join the rest.

* * *

While Mercedes was talking to Finn, Artie and Mike were still playing Xbox.

"Dude, did you just publicly dismiss Santana like that?" Mike asked with a smile.

"That takes some pretty big balls." Puck added.

"I don't want to talk to her now. I'm busy." Artie insisted, stubbornly.

"You really should." Tina added. "You were rude and you embarrassed her."

"Wasn't she rude not showing up or calling while she was at some party." Artie argued back.

"This isn't like you." Tina said. Mike and Puck just watched the two go back and forth.

"I'll talk to her after this round." Artie focused back on the game.

"I was wrong. This is actually exactly like you to do something like this. It's the Halo-marathon incident all over again." Tina blurted. She hated seeing Artie like this and was hoping he learned something from their relationship.

"Whoa!" Mike and Puck let out in unison, surprised at Tina's outburst.

"Mike, you really suck at this." Tina grabbed the controller and finished the game for him.

"You killed me." Artie said in shock.

"Don't be so surprised." Tina said.

"You're like super hot Asian right now." Puck blurted out and Mike nodded.

"Go, Artie." She added and Artie was still reluctant. "I know that she was wrong, but you're not right by staying here and playing some stupid video game."

Artie sighed. "Fine." He placed the controller on the table and went out to find Santana. Mike followed to find Brittany.

* * *

Puck and Tina were sitting in front of the TV, when Puck put his hand over Tina's.

"It was totally badass of you to kill Artie like that." Puck said about the video game.

"Thanks," she smiled weakly. "Noah, can we go somewhere more private…we need to talk." She added nervously. Puck didn't say anything and just nodded.

* * *

Rachel walked in from the backyard and into the kitchen.

"Hi," Finn said with a soft smile.

"Let's go to your room. I need…we need to talk." Rachel as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ok," Finn agreed before leading the way downstairs to his room.

* * *

Artie and Mike made it outside where everyone else was hanging out.

"Hey guys," Artie interrupted them. "Can you give me and Santana some privacy? We need to talk."

After a few brief moments, Santana and Artie were left alone outside to talk. Santana had never felt so nervous. It was typical of Artie to make her feel things she never felt before.

She took a deep breath, like she had been doing all night, and hoped for the best.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So, I wrote chapters 25 through 28 purposely without posting. I wanted to write it all in one document and then break it up. I knew that these chapters would have to cover a lot, but I wanted to maintain the same tone. It was a lot of editing and rewriting on my part. I hope I did that successfully. If I did or didn't, please review. Let me know your comments/suggestions. I love to hear it.**_

_**R&R, P&TY.**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N:**_

_**Hello readers! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long with this update. Enough with the rambling. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

While the Finn and Rachel, Puck and Tina, and Santana and Artie were in separate parts of the house, everyone else was in the TV room.

"Ok I know that Rachel and Finn are in a fight, and Santana totally did Artie wrong. Why are Puck and Tina alone?" Mercedes wondered.

"Sex." Brittany blurted out.

"Is that your answer to everything?" Kurt joked.

"This is Puck we're talking about." She giggled. Brittany had a point.

"Anyway," Kurt rolled his eyes, trying to change the subject. "I think Artie is pretty upset with Santana."

"Has Santana ever been in a relationship longer than a week?" Mike blurted out, causing a few laughs. Brittany gave him a little push.

"Who said anything about it being over?" Brittany added.

"Come on, Brit." Mercedes started. "I know you're friends with Santana, but Mike's right. She's not the relationship type."

"I don't know, Mercedes." Kurt argued. "I think she's more mature this year. Artie and Santana are no more different than Finn and Rachel." He sided with Brittany.

"But Finn and Rachel have been through much worse." Mike added his thoughts.

"The two of them will eventually get tired of this. Artie and Santana are still new and exciting." Kurt replied.

"I'm pretty sure Finn and Rachel are over as of tonight. You guys didn't see how sad she was when I drove her home from school." Brittany added.

"Santana messed up. I'm sorry, Brit. She put Cheerios before Artie. That's kind of a big deal." Mike added. "I'm sure they had their run, but now it's over."

"Care to make this interesting?" Kurt questioned with an arched eyebrow..

"What do you have in mind, pear hips?" Mercedes teased causing Kurt to adjust his outfit.

"Give us a 100 dollars if Finn and Rachel are the first to break up tonight." Kurt added.

"100 dollars if Santana and Artie are the first." Mike counter-offered.

"Deal." Kurt and Mike shook hands.

"What about Puck and Tina? Are they not in this?" Mercedes wondered.

"Please! He left a party for no reason just to spend time with Tina. They have no reason to be in a fight. Puck has been surprisingly obedient, I mean loyal to Tina. Trust me, they're…"

"Having sex." Brittany interrupted causing them to laugh.

"I was going to say they're not in a fight," He joked.

"So now we wait and see." Mike shrugged as he plopped down on the couch.

* * *

Finn was sitting on his bed and Rachel was pacing back and forth, not really saying anything. Silent Rachel means a scary Rachel. At least, that's how Finn described it.

"I know you're not just mad about the whole Quinn thing. It's that I was a jerk after you found out."

"I don't care that you hugged her. I know it meant nothing to you and you're like this sweet person and she clearly sees you as a friend. I love that you're a good person, but I just didn't like that you kept it from me. What were you afraid of?" And before Finn could answer, Rachel continued. "I was just a bit disappointed because I thought we worked through all of this. I thought you trusted me to tell me."

"I do trust you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything and that you're hurt." Finn spoke rather quickly, trying to get everything out of the way before Rachel starts talking again. He paused for a bit "I love you, Rachel."

Rachel's expression softened. "You love me, even though I'm uptight and controlling?" She took a seat on the bed next to him.

"I love that you're uptight and I love being the one who reminds you to loosen up." Finn smirked. "I also love it when you're in control." He joked, causing Rachel to blush a bit at the innuendo. After all, she's the one who decided to let him go to second base. It was a total turn on. Before she could open her mouth to object, he gave her a kiss. He wasn't sure if he should. Since she didn't pull away, he took it as a positive sign.

"I'm sorry." Finn repeated after finally pulling apart.

"Me too." She said while gasping for breath.

"We should go out there." he added as he began to stand up.

"No…not yet." Rachel pulled him down on the bed and continued kissing his neck.

"See, I love that you're controlling." He whispered and Rachel giggled.

* * *

While Finn and Rachel were making up, Artie and Santana were outside. Santana was sitting on a patio chair across of Artie. She was a bit cold and rolled her hands into a ball to keep them warm.

"I'm sorry, Artie." Santana began, speaking softly. "I didn't receive any text…"

"You're lying." Artie shot back before she could finish.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, starting to looking her cool.

"You replied to me saying that you'll be at the movies, after I told you that the movie was starting earlier." He argued.

"No, I didn't." Santana stated, still holding her ground. Artie handed her his phone and it showed her reply. "I didn't send this." She felt her eyebrows move closer together.

"Then who did?" Artie began. "Isn't this your number? Let's see…"He dialed her number and of course her cell phone rang.

"I don't know who sent you that text message, but you need to trust me when I say that it wasn't me." Santana was a hurt knowing that he didn't trust her.

"Like I trusted you to show up at the movies and not ditch me to go to some Cheerios party. Or how you trusted me by telling me the truth…oh no, wait, you couldn't even do that. You didn't even tell me you were at a party. Did you think I wouldn't understand? It sucked finding out from people at the movies." Artie spoke without giving Santana a place to interrupt.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I was wrong for keeping it from you, but you're right, I didn't think you would understand. And clearly, I was right. You don't understand." Santana began as she rubbed her hands together.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm trying to explain everything to you right now, but you don't seem to be very understanding. I thought you were different from all the other boys in this school…"

"Why? Because I'm in a wheelchair?" Artie blurted out.

"No! It was never about that." She shot back with a roll of the eyes. "You were different because you were sincere and confident and never arrogant and not trying to get me to go out with you. I never felt that I couldn't talk to you." Santana let out a deep breath after she listed all those things. "I never felt like this about anyone." She whispered after having finally calmed down.

The two of them didn't say anything afterwards. It was a bit of an awkward silence.

"Why were you at the party?" Artie finally asked and Santana began telling him her reasons for going. It was the first time that she confided to anyone how hard it was for her to balance glee club and Cheerios.

"It's not just Finn or Puck who get a hard time being athletes and in Glee club." Santana added. "Girls are just as manipulative and difficult. I regret going but I had to. I didn't want to let anyone down…which is actually ironic because the one person I didn't want to let down was the one I disappointed." She added while looking down because she wasn't comfortable making eye contact while being so open. This was all new to Santana.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Artie asked quietly.

"I thought I could go to the party, meet you at the movies and then tell you." Santana revealed. "Things didn't work out as I hoped."

"I'm sorry I was being an ass earlier." Artie let out. "And for the record, I do trust you." He handed her his sweater hanging off the back of his chair, knowing that she was cold. Santana let out a little smile as she put on his sweater, not caring how the color or length did nothing for her figure. Artie looked at her wearing his sweater and laughed a little bit.

"Shut up, I rock this sweater." Santana knew how horrible it must've looked.

"We can go inside if it's too cold out"

"No…" Santana whispered as she sat on his lap. "Let's stay out here for a bit."

"I can't argue with that." Artie said as he gave her a kiss, which she was more than willing to return. As hard as Santana thought it would be to face the McKinley crowd, she was happy that they got through this fight.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and kept things moving along. I think it'll be a little predictable what happens in the next chapter. Please review- I love your feedback!**_

_**One more thing- There is one part in the Rocky Horror Glee Show episode that made my day: giant omelet. Enough said!**_

_**R&R, P&TY! **_


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N: Here's the second update. I wrote this chapter with the last one- what can I say? I was on a roll. I decided to break them up after writing. Enough with my rambling. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Tina led Puck into the guest bedroom in Finn's house. She closed the door and pulled Puck into a deep and passionate kiss.

"Wow." Puck said while trying to catch his breath. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," Tina answered as Puck took a seat on the bed. "We didn't spend a lot of time together this week. You were busy with football practice and I had tap classes. I just missed you, I guess." She said while giving him another kiss. She pushed Puck so that they're both lying on the bed and she was on top, kissing him. Clearly, she has come a long way since first joining glee club. No more stutter and still a bit shy, but she was able to open up to people- even Puck. She had grown up quite a bit since last year.

It took Puck a lot of strength to pull away. His mounting guilt was eating away at him. He knew he had to tell Tina about everything. Puck hoped Tina would understand. She had to understand. She was like the nicest girl in school and didn't have a mean bone in her body. All of these thoughts only made Puck feel more nervous. He was about to break her heart.

The guilt continued to eat away at him.

"I'm sorry." Tina said as she rolled over and sat at the edge of the bed. "I kind of noticed that you aren't completely into this…"

"No! I really, _really _want to continue." He said as he sat up straight and still close to Tina.

"Tell me what's wrong?" She added softly as she held his hand in both of hers. Puck hated what he was about to do, but he couldn't continue lying to Tina. He owed her more than that. He nervously ran his hand through his freshly shaven head. As he did that, It occurred to him that this was the only girl, aside from his mother, who was able to get him to shave his mohawk. Even though she never asked him to, he wanted to do it for her. Santana was right; Tina made him less of a fuck up.

"Um…" Puck shifted as he removed his hand out of hers and stood up. Tina's expression changed to one of worry. "I don't know where to start."

"Whenever you feel comfortable." Tina reassured him with a smile. Puck hated how easy she was making him feel because it will only make hurting her so much worse.

"Remember when me and you got into that fight at the beginning of the year when Artie and Santana started spending a lot of time together?"

"Yeah…" It wasn't some thing Tina completely forgot.

"After that fight, you went over to Artie's and kissed him." Puck stated.

"Yeah," She mumbled with a frown. "But we're over that, right? We made up the very next day."

"I wasn't completely honest with you. That same night that you were with Artie, I went to Santana's to talk…"

"Why?" Tina asked.

Puck wasn't really expecting her to ask that. "I don't know. Why did you go to Artie?" He questioned.

"Because I knew he'd be honest with me." She answered without skipping a beat. She started growing more defensive.

"I don't know why I went to Santana. I guess it's just what I always do…"

"Did you sleep with her?" It was a fair question considering the two people involved.

"No!" He defended.

"It's safe to assume when it comes to you and Santana that…"

Puck cut her off. "I was pissed off, Tina. I didn't like that we were fighting." He paused "One thing led to another and we only kissed." Puck sat down next to her on the bed.

"Only kissed?" She questioned, while getting off the bed. She wanted to create some distance between her and Puck.

"I'm really sorry." He added.

"Why didn't you tell me this when I told you about Artie? You know, before I told you I loved you." She reminded him quietly while trying to hold back from crying.

"I don't know. Artie told me I should tell…" Puck stood up.

"Artie knows about this?" Tina questioned. "Who else knows?"

"Only him and well, Santana. " Puck replied uneasily. "He said I should tell you to be honest. Don't get mad at him. Santana told him not to tell you." Puck didn't fully realize how bad this was all sounding. His intention wasn't to throw Artie and Santana under the bus. He was willing to take responsibility for what he did.

"I can't believe this is happening right now." Tina wiped away a few tears. "I'm so embarrassed."

"I'm sorry." Puck pleaded while holding her hand. She quickly pulled away.

"I made such a fool of myself. People were so right about us." Tina paused trying to think straight. "We were just kidding ourselves by being together."

"Don't say that." Puck replied. He refused to believe that.

"Am I wrong? We had one fight and you went back to _her_. You know what they say about old habits dying hard." Tina shot back. Those words stung Puck, especially since he used the exact same words earlier when he was taunting Santana about Quinn being head cheerleader again.

"I was wrong. What do…"

"I know you, Noah." Tina interrupted. She was getting quite frustrated now. "I want to know why you're telling me this now?"

"Are you saying you didn't want to know?"

"Of course I always want to know when you kiss someone else?"

"You make it sound like it happens everyday. This was one isolated incident."

"Really?" Tina scoffed with deep skepticism.

"Yes, really." Puck defended his actions.

"You running back to _her _isn't just one isolated incident…it's like who you are. After Rachel or Mercedes or Quinn, you went back to _her_. I get it. She's your security blanket." Tina stated while extremely hurt.

"Santana and I have a history, just like you and Artie. You have to accept that." Puck began.

"Me and Artie are just friends. I don't know if you're over her." Tina argued.

"I am over Santana." He said, finally mentioning her name again.

"You didn't answer my question." Tina sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to gather her composure and trying to keep her cool. It wasn't like her to lose her temper.

"What question?" Puck took a seat next to her, unsure how close he should be. He knew what her question was but didn't know how to answer.

"Noah," Tina started. "I know something must've happened that is making you tell me all of this. When it comes to you, it doesn't just rain. It pours." Tina was right. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"So it can't be that I just want to be honest with my girlfriend." He said uneasily, unsure if _girlfriend _is still the appropriate term.

"I don't think you want me to answer that." Tina smiled weakly.

"Am I that predictable?" Puck smirked and she didn't answer. He already knew the answer. "I am over Santana. You have to believe that." Tina nodded, not knowing what to say. "At the party today, I saw Quinn…"

"Ok," Tina whispered while expecting the worst.

"She was with Sam and made me realize that I had been lying to you about how I..."

"Oh my God." Tina spoke in a barely audible and mumbled voice. She knew where this was going. "You're still not over her." She added as she moved her hair away from her face.

"I thought I was." Puck reasoned. "I saw her with him and…"

"Ok." Tina said firmly as she stood up.

"Wait, Tina…" Puck held her hand in order to stop her.

"No!" She pushed him away, causing Puck to take a step back. "I want nothing to do with you."

"Tina, I'm sorry…"

"So am I." She let out softly. "J-just leave m-me alone." Tina started crying and her stutter emerging for real. Puck didn't know what to do since she wasn't going to listen anymore. He also didn't know what to say.

Tina did her best to gather herself before heading out. She wanted to take the easiest way out of the house without running into anyone. She left Puck behind and headed for the front door.

All she wanted to do is make it home peacefully without seeing or talking to anyone. She just wanted to go to bed and put this horrible day behind her.

But Tina was smarter than that. She knew things don't always work out that way...

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**This chapter was a bit obvious, but I hope you were all satisfied with it. We couldn't have all three couples make it. Nonetheless, two of the couples are safe…for now. Conflict is oh so necessary!**_

_**I would really appreciate your reviews for this chapter. How did I write Puck and Tina? They were pretty challenging to write. Reviews would be wonderful, so as always…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**A/N: **__**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

"Tina, don't forget your jacket." Brittany called out as she spotted Tina about to leave Finn's house. She took a deep breath and turned around. She didn't know why Brittany had to choose that moment to be observant. Tina headed over to the living room where everyone was separated in smaller groups. They were all doing their own thing around the house.

"Are you leaving already? I want a rematch." Artie joked as he rolled up next to her and pointed towards the Xbox console.

Tina completely ignored Artie, grabbed her jacket, and turned around to leave. Artie quickly followed her to see what was wrong. The two of them were by the front door and away from everyone else.

"What's wrong? Is everything ok?" He said as he caught up to her.

"I really don't want to talk to you right now." Tina let out.

"Is everything ok with you and Puck?"

"You would know, wouldn't you? You seem to know all sorts of things about me and Puck." She whispered with the disdain evident in her voice.

"I'm assuming he told you about…"

"Hooking up with _her_." She looked over at Santana, who was watching Artie and Tina from a distance. Tina turned her attention back to Artie. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't because…"

"Because Santana told you not to." Tina sighed after completing his sentence. "Coward." She whispered under her breath.

"Come on, Tina." He pleaded. "That's hardly fair…"

"You don't get to talk to me about fair!" Tina's voice was louder and more demanding.

"Tina... you're still here." Puck joined her and Artie. He was relieved that she didn't leave, even though he was unsure what he was going to say to her.

"Not for much longer." Tina turned to leave but Puck managed to hold the front door shut.

"Please, just let me go home. I don't want anything to do with you." Tina stated calmly with her face still to the door. She didn't want to look at Puck right now.

"What's going on?" Santana finally approached them.

"I want to go home." Tina uttered under her breath just so that only Puck could hear her.

"Let me take you home." Puck tried to reason with her, a bit stupidly really. To his defense, he was desperate and didn't know what to do. She didn't want to talk to him right now. "I know you're mad at me but…" Puck continued.

"Puck told you?" Santana asked Tina. She finally figured it out. Santana knew that Puck was going to tell Tina, but she thought he would've found a better time. The last thing Santana needed was more trouble to ruin her rough night.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Puck." Tina spat out, completely ignoring Santana. "There is nothing to talk about. I don't know why you're trapping me here."

"I'm not trapping you," Puck actually meant well. He wanted to make sure Tina was ok.

"Then what are you doing? I don't want to be here with you." Tina paused. "I don't want to be with you anywhere." She kept her eyes on the floor so no one really saw how hurt she was. She had come a long way in dealing with her shyness, but right now, she was quickly putting a guard up so they would leave her alone.

"I just wanted to make sure you're ok." Puck was a bit defeated and unsure of what to say. There is nothing he could really say to make this situation any better.

"Tina, why don't you stay here and we'll leave?" Santana suggested.

"Maybe Puck and Santana have a point." Artie began. "You should stay here with Kurt and Mercedes until you're ok."

"You can't be serious right now." Tina shifted her sights from the floor to Artie. "I don't understand where the 3 of you come off. You can't tell me what to do or where to stay." She raised her voice. At this point, everyone else in the living room was listening in on their conversation.

"We're just trying to look out for you." Artie tried to explain. "We want to make sure you're ok."

"It's too late for that." Tina shot back.

"Oh come on, Tina." Santana blurted from frustration. She wasn't used to dealing with girls this way. To her defense, it's not like Santana had ever been in a relationship to understand what Tina's going through. "Aren't you being a little too hard on Artie? I'm the one who asked him not to tell you. Puck was the one who messed up." Santana really needed to work on picking her battles.

"What's going on?" Mercedes spoke up and drew everyone's attention to the rest of the group.

"Tina, are you ok?" Rachel added.

"And as always, you think you're innocent in all of this." Tina addressed Santana curtly while ignoring Mercedes and Rachel. "Naturally, you've become completely oblivious to consequences."

"I didn't say that." Santana replied calmly. "I'm just saying you shouldn't blame Artie. He's still your good friend."

"You're going to talk to me about friends, let alone good friends." She scoffed.

"Come on, Tina." Brittany felt she had to defend her friend. "I don't know what's going on here, but Santana has always been a good friend to me."

"Tina, let's take you home." Kurt interrupted. Needless to say, everyone was kind of surprised to see Tina so mad and emotional. It was even more shocking seeing Santana hold back.

"I still don't know what going on?" Finn confessed. Everyone was out of the loop.

Tina looked over at Puck, Santana and Artie. The three of them didn't say anything. "I broke up with Puck." She revealed, feeling a bit embarrassed. She'd rather have them hear it from her than from others.

"But like why are you yelling at Santana?" Finn asked as Rachel gave him a nudge.

They all pieced it together. It's not like a lot of details are needed. All they needed to know was that Tina ended things with Puck and Santana was somehow involved. This wasn't really a new scenario for McKinley students. Everyone drew the same conclusion. In any of Puck's attempts at a relationship, he consistently fooled around with Santana on the side. Why would Tina be any different?

"Oh…" Finn finally caught on.

"Exactly." Tina whispered.

"It happened once." Puck argued. "Me and Santana never did anything before or after that one time..."

"Tina, it was just a mistake. I know that they both feel bad about everything." Artie defended.

"Not that I completely believe any of you, but that doesn't change things, Puck." Tina revealed a bit softly. "It's so much more than you kissing her. You still don't understand that this is not just a one-time thing." Tina wasn't going to mention Puck's feelings for Quinn in front of everyone. She didn't want any more attention than she was currently receiving.

"Tina…" Puck began.

"Listen, Puck." She interrupted while pulling him aside from everyone else. She was desperate to put an end to this conversation. "To put it simply, I can't trust you."

"You can." Puck whispered.

"What's going on?" Matt walked into the house with Quinn and Sam following behind. "Why are you guys standing by the door?" He then noticed Puck and Tina off by themselves.

"Is everything ok?" Quinn asked.

Tina and Puck looked over at Quinn as she talked to Sam. Tina turned back to face Puck. It hurt her to see him still staring at Quinn and Sam. "She's been here all 10 seconds and I can't even keep your attention." Tina whispered, feeling more hurt than before.

Before Puck was able to look back at Tina, she left him standing there and headed to the door. Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt followed Finally, Tina made it outside the house and took a deep breath. She was relieved that she made it out of there.

"We don't have to talk about anything." Rachel spoke up, causing Tina to turn around.

"Thanks." Tina smiled weakly before the three of them pulled her into a hug. As much as Tina told Puck and Artie that she wanted to be alone, she really did need her friends.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I actually liked writing Tina, but no worries, the next chapter definitely focuses on Artie and Santana. Puck and Tina are now single…did you really think that it won't affect Artana?**_

_**Let me know what you think of this update. Reviews are always welcomed.**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	32. Chapter 32

_**A/N:**_

_**How many apologies do I owe my readers? I hope I still have readers! I am so sorry for the lack of updating. Hopefully things start picking up. Curse you, writer's block!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Santana woke up the next morning after a lousy night's sleep. She was never the type to sleep in on weekends. She was used to the early morning Cheerios practices. As much as she wanted to sleep in and try to forget the night before, she couldn't. By 7 o'clock she was out of bed. By 7:10 she had her morning protein shake and by 7:15, she was out the door for her morning jog.

Santana wanted to focus on her running, but her mind kept drifting back to the night before. She felt bad for Tina. Everyone did. Santana ran for a good 45 minutes before slowing down to a walking speed. Without realizing it, Santana made it to Brittany's house. Santana knocked on the door before letting herself in.

"Hey, Brit?" Santana yelled out. "Where are you?"

"Oh my God, it's only you!" Brittany said as she made herself visible from the top of the staircase, wearing a oversized t-shirt and looking disheveled.

Santana smirked. "Good morning, Mike." Santana called out.

"Hi," Mike said shyly after stepping out behind Brittany while wearing only his boxers. "We thought you were Brit's parents."

Santana let out a little laugh as she looked at Mike and Brittany. "At least someone had a good night last night."

"Tina had a blast!" Mike said before laughing at his own joke.

"Too soon," Brittany stated while patting Mike's back.

"Should I be leaving or…" Santana began to ask.

"No!" Brittany stated. "We'll meet you in the kitchen after we change."

"Um…yeah." Mike shrugged.

Santana made it to the kitchen and helped herself to some water. The two girls spent a lot of time in each others' homes. They didn't really have any boundaries. A bit later, Brittany came down to the kitchen.

"What are you doing here so early?" Brittany asked while looking for something to eat. "Not that I don't love having you around." She clarified.

"Last night was horrible and I couldn't sleep. I went out for a run and I think I over did it. My knee is starting to hurt."

"You have to be careful." Brittany warned her. "We can't have you miss any more Cheerios practices."

"Oh, I'm sure Quinn will swoop right in and take over." She replied dryly.

"What's the deal with Quinn?" Brittany asked while Mike joined them in the kitchen. "Things got weird when she came last night."

"She's with Sam. She was all over him at the party, according to Matt." Mike added.

"And Puck is still totally in love with her. Tina had every right to be pissed last night."

"I thought Puck was over Quinn and that he moved on…" Brittany was confused.

"We all thought so, especially Tina." Santana said as she ran her hand through her hair before tightening her ponytail.

"That explains why she was really pissed." Mike added.

"San, are you ok?" Brittany asked, which caught her friend off-guard.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Santana shrugged. She tried to play it cool but she lied.

"Ok," Brittany said before digging into her cereal.

"I should get going. My mom wants to see me. Apparently, I don't spend enough time with her."

"I have to leave too before Brit's parents come home." Mike said. "I can drop you off." He turned to Santana.

"Sounds good." She nodded.

"I'll see you later, Brit." Santana said as Mike gave Brittany a kiss. Mike and Santana were in the car and the radio was playing pretty low. Mike didn't have much to talk to Santana about.

"Brittany says you're honest." Santana said out of nowhere. Mike just looked at her before turning back to the road. "I need to ask you something and I didn't want to do it with Brittany around."

"Um, ok." Mike was a bit nervous.

"Was Tina right? Last night she said a few things and…"

"Why can't you ask Brittany?" Mike interrupted.

"I know she's honest with me, but I wanted someone else's opinion. Someone not so close to me."

"What did Tina say exactly?" Mike asked while pretending he didn't know. He was buying time.

"She said I don't think about consequences and practically, I'm selfish."

"Ok she didn't call you selfish." Mike corrected.

"She said I don't care about other people. At least that's what she implied. I just want to know if people see me that way." There was a bit of a silence in the car. "I'm asking you because Brittany would say that I'm not selfish. I just want you to be honest, please."

"Can't you ask Artie?" He was clearly uncomfortable answering her questions.

"You don't want to answer because you think you'll offend me…and that means you agree that I'm selfish."

Mike took a deep breath. "Here's the deal, Santana. You're right. I was trying to spare your feelings." Mike began. "Brittany likes you and I like you too, but you are may be the most difficult person to get along with." Santana didn't say anything. She was stunned but let Mike continue. "If it wasn't for Brittany, Matt, and now Artie, telling me how you're actually cool and an overall good person, then I wouldn't have hung around with you as much. Eventually, I got to see what Brittany and Matt were talking about." Mike ended his little speech and the car was silent for less than a minute. "People who don't know you have a certain impression about you. Tina wasn't right. She just doesn't know you."

"Ok." Santana smiled weakly as she considered what Mike said.

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you." Mike argued. "I knew you were going to get mad."

"I'm fine, Mike." She reassured him. "I've been called much worse than _difficult_." She was able to get past that topic and she turned up the volume on the radio. The rest of the car ride was pretty awkward for Mike. Santana thanked him for getting out of his car and going up to her apartment.

* * *

The rest of Santana's morning was pretty uneventful. She actually enjoyed spending time with her mom. It was a nice break from everything that had been bothering her since last night. Santana's mom ran a pretty successful restaurant that kept her busy on weekends, especially at night. A renown chef can't take a day off during the busiest night of the week. Santana was used to it, so she wasn't complaining. She was a popular girl and it wasn't like she spend Saturday night at home alone. There was always something for her to do.

At around 2 in the afternoon, after having lunch with her mom, Santana was in her room trying to plan her Saturday night. She called Artie.

"Hey," He replied in a low voice while answering. "What's up?"

"Can you talk?" Santana asked, sensing he was busy.

"Sure, but not for long."

"Oh, where are you?" She was curious.

"I'm at Tina's house." Artie answered. There was a slight pause in which Santana's heart sank. She felt something tense up in her throat. "I…I'll explain later. Can we do something tonight?"

"Um, yeah…yeah. Sure." Santana was flustered. "I can come over…"

"Come by at 6..." He added. "I'll see you soon. Bye."

"Bye." Santana let out before Artie hung up. She took a few deep breaths before regaining her composure. She wasn't expecting Artie to be at Tina's house so soon. Santana was hoping Artie would call her first and see how she is doing. She hated sounding so selfish. Santana brushed it off and was able to convince herself that Artie had a good reason to be with Tina right now. She was going to try not to worry about it too much.

Santana called Brittany and then Matt to see if they had plans. She didn't feel like being alone right now because all she could think about was Artie being with Tina. Her imagination was getting the best of her. Unfortunately for Santana, Brittany had plans with her parents before going out with Mike at night. Matt was out with Mercedes, Kurt, Mike, and Quinn. He invited Santana along, but she declined.

Santana spent the rest of her afternoon alone. She kept herself busy with stuff around the house just so she doesn't think about the night before. She didn't know why it was bothering her so much.

She didn't care what other students thought of her, but this was different. This was glee club. She cared what they thought about her.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Let me know what you think. I hope everyone liked seeing more of Santana. Another chapter coming up soon. Until then…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**A/N: Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

At around 6:30, Santana rang the doorbell to Artie's house. His father answered the door and told her that Artie wasn't home yet. After making some small talk, he said she could wait in his room if she liked. Santana agreed. It was really uncomfortable for her to be in his room, or his house, without him there. She kept wondering why he was late.

"Sorry I'm late." Artie said with a smile as he rolled into his room.

"Hi," She added before giving him a short kiss on the lips.

Artie rolled over to put some stuff on his desk. "Um, San…did you clean my room?"

"No!" Santana blushed as she took a seat on his bed. "I just organized your desk...after I snooped through your things." She giggled even though she was honest.

"I lost track of time…" He began while moving in front of her.

"With Tina." She completed with a nod. Before he could say anything, Santana began talking again. "I know that she's your friend, but I don't know why you didn't tell me that you were with her." Santana wasn't going to waste any time getting this off her chest.

"I'm sorry." Artie began. "I should've told you, but it was very rushed. Tina is one of my good friends and she had a point yesterday. I should've told her about you and Puck…"

"Yeah…" She let out softly.

"And Puck called me this morning and wanted me to see if Tina is ok."

"Is she?" Santana asked out of genuine concern.

"Yeah, she's just embarrassed. Mercedes and Rachel are keeping her busy tonight." Artie added.

"That's good." She smiled weakly before a bit of a pause in the room.

"Tina told me that Puck still has feelings for Quinn. Why didn't you say anything yesterday? Tina shouldn't have gotten mad at you if Puck…"

Santana cut him off. "She had every right to be mad. I didn't want last night to get worse so I kept my mouth shut." She shrugged. "Honestly, I was hoping Puck would've manned up and defended me…but then again, he probably wouldn't be able to handle Tina insulting Quinn."

Artie sat up and felt a bit jealous that Santana was thinking about Puck defending her. "San, you know that Tina was just mad when she said those things about you."

"But everyone agrees with her. They find some truth in what she said." Santana looked at the floor as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just thought that glee club knew me better than that." She looked up to meet Artie's eyes, but he didn't say anything. His silence practically affirms what she just said. Her heart sank.

"I'm sorry." He said a bit louder than a whisper. "I didn't think it bothered you so much."

"Don't apologize. I didn't expect you to say anything yesterday." She sounded more bitchy than she intended it to be.

"And why is that?" He frowned. "You expected Puck to defend you."

"Listen, you didn't do anything wrong." Santana reassured him. "I think Puck should've taken the blame since it was his fault. I let Tina say those things about me because I didn't want to be a total bitch by telling everyone that Puck isn't over Quinn. I didn't want to embarrass her."

"Really?" Artie was a bit surprised.

"I didn't want her to be mad at you." She placed her hand over his. "And I won't lie to you. I wasn't happy when you told me you were with her earlier. I couldn't help but think that may be now that she's single and Puck is out of the picture that you two would…"

"That's ridiculous." Artie interrupted before Santana completed what she was going to say. He grew frustrated.

"No, it's not." Santana argued confidently. "I know you told me that you and her are just friends. You said you're over her, but Puck also told Tina that he was over Quinn. That didn't turn out so well."

"I'm sick of you comparing me to Puck. I never compare you to Tina." Artie stated. He was a bit louder. "I thought we were past your whole issue with me and Tina."

"We are…" She insisted.

"I don't think you are. This is clearly a problem for you. The bottom line is Puck and Tina are both single. You don't trust me enough when I say I'm not going back to her." Artie was frustrated and insulted. He was getting fed up.

"Can you blame me?" Santana defended a bit angrily. "You went to Tina first, Artie. You didn't talk to me about going to see her. You didn't even have the decency to tell me. So yeah, you seem to be more and more like Puck everyday."

"That's not fair." Artie countered.

"Everyone reminds me of how the two of you were like a perfectly matched outcasts. " Santana argued back. It seemed like everyone in school expected Artie and Tina to be together.

Artie interrupted her. "You know, all that talk about you not caring about what others think is just a show."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Santana shot back with an arched eye-brow. She was trying to rein in her temper.

"Who cares what people think of me and Tina." He began. "I thought big badass Santana didn't care what people said about her."

Santana was taken aback by what he said. She actually really likes Artie. If she cared what people thought, then she would've never been with him in the first place. She thought he knew that. If she cared what people thought, then she would be with some football player. That was what was expected from the head cheerleader.

Before Santana could reply, Artie continued calmly and with utmost seriousness. "Do you want me to break up with you?"

"What?" She was confused.

"If you break up with me and go back to Puck, as you normally do, then everyone will think that the only reason you were with me was to break up Tina and Puck...and we can't have that." Artie paused a bit. Santana frowned and was about to say something but he spoke first. "If I break up with you, then you don't look like the bad guy and you get to be with Puck."

To say that Santana was surprised would be a huge understatement. She was confused, hurt, and at a loss for words. She took a deep breath. "I don't want to be with Puck." That was all she could get out.

"I don't want to be with Tina, but you don't believe me." He countered. "Why should I believe you when you say you don't want to be with Puck? You've broken up with Puck and gotten back together so many times. If anyone should have trust issues, it should be me."

"Don't be stupid, Artie." Santana snapped back. "Isn't this why Tina broke up with you? You like pushed her away or something." She was back in full bitchy mode. She was fed up and was about to leave. "At least you can now enjoy your Xbox and Halo." Santana couldn't resist not making a comment about Artie's failed relationship with Tina.

Santana was practically out of his room at this point. "And you can enjoy being Quinn's substitute." Artie spoke out to get the last word.

Santana stopped in her tracks and stiffened up. She turned around to look at Artie, but she didn't say a word. She stood still for a second, that felt like an eternity, before continuing on her way out.

Artie instantly felt horrible. He would have preferred Santana to have yelled and screamed. Her silence spoke volumes. He hated that hurt look on her face. He hated that he caused it.

Neither one of them expected their night to turn out like this. At least the night isn't over yet.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**As much as I hate to admit it, this isn't my favorite chapter. I hope you all review (and maybe like it). I don't know why I've been so uninspired to write. I finally got this chapter out. Hopefully things start flowing now. I have an idea of where I want this story to go, but the problem is getting there. I'll try to update soon. I think now, more than ever, I need your reviews and feedback! As always…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	34. Chapter 34

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Santana left Artie's house in a rush. She was in her car and couldn't believe that it was only a little past 8:30. Her cell phone rang and it startled her a bit.

"Hey Brit," Santana answered.

"How's it going?" Brittany asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine." Santana blatantly lied. She knew Artie asked Brittany to check up on her.

"Do you want me to come by?"

"No, I'm fine. I'd like a quiet night alone." Santana answered. "Plus, you have plans with Mike. We'll talk tomorrow. I just want to go home right now."

"That's fine." Brittany hesitated before the two ended their call. She knew Santana for a long time and this is her first Saturday night home alone. Santana wasn't the type to spend weekends alone. She was always surrounded by people either at a party or at her dad's house. This wasn't like Santana at all, so naturally, Brittany was concerned.

* * *

"Santana, open up!" Artie yelled after knocking on her apartment door.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she opened the door. Santana stood in his way so he couldn't get in.

"We need to talk." Artie stated confidently, trying to let her know that he wasn't going to leave.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Good! So I'll do the talking." He argued back. Santana wasn't sure when Artie became so confident. If she wasn't so mad at him right now, she'd find his confidence sexy. "Are you going to let me in or not? I don't have a problem disturbing the whole building and causing a scene. I suggest we talk inside."

Santana tried to suppress her smirk. She liked that Artie was very straightforward. "Fine," she relented as she stepped out of his way. After he made it inside, she closed the door. "What do you need to say?"

"I came to apologize. I hope you can just hear me out." Artie pleaded. Santana didn't say anything and took a seat on the couch. Artie was able to position himself close to her. "First of all, I crossed a line and didn't mean any of those things. I was just angry."

"I didn't think you were that type to be so…hurtful." Santana added slowly while searching for the right word.

"I'm not that type. I was angry." He repeated. "I don't understand why we have the same fights over and over again. I understand that you being with me isn't easy." Santana cringed a little bit when he said that. "I just thought we were past all of this."

"I think I was angry is because what you said about me was right." Santana began.

"Quinn is nothing like you…" He began by stating the most hurtful thing he said to her.

"I know you said that because you were angry." Santana admitted. "It still hurt but, maybe you were right. I don't understand why I keep bringing up this whole thing with Tina and Puck? I'm happy being with you. I've never felt this way with anyone…"

"Really?" Artie smiled.

"I just thought you weren't happy with me." She revealed sheepishly.

"What?" He was shocked. "I love what we have. You know we have a good thing going."

"I messed up a lot, Artie." Santana shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I kissed Puck and got between you and Tina, I ditched you yesterday at the movies, I…"

"Stop!" Artie interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore.

"I'm just expecting you to leave me." She let out quickly.

"I'm not…" Artie began before Santana cut him off.

"Earlier tonight, when you said you want us to end things so I can go back to Puck, it hurt…like a lot." Santana's eyes began to water, causing Artie to feel guilty. "I thought I was pushing you away and I would end up with Puck again. I was never this happy with him and I don't want to go back to that. I will never compare you to him because there is no comparison." This was the first time Santana let it all out to a guy. Naturally, she was nervous about being this honest and vulnerable.

Artie's lips curled in a slight smile. "I'm so sorry, Santana." He began as he pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was a perfect kiss. He was passionate and warm. He was able to make Santana feel better about the two of them. She didn't feel so nervous anymore for putting it all out on the line like that. Artie pulled away. "I love you, Santana." He added softly.

She was floored. She was at a complete loss for words. No guy has ever said that to her. Her eyes were wide open and she was trying to find something to say.

Artie let out a little laugh. "I don't expect you to say anything right now. I just wanted you to know how I feel."

"Artie, I-I…" Santana tried to find something to say. She couldn't. The home phone rang and threw off her concentration. "Hold on." She answered the phone and talked for a few minutes before going back to her spot across of Artie.

"San," Artie began as he held her hand. "I know this is difficult for you so trust me, I'm not disappointed. You don't have to say anything. I wouldn't want to pressure you."

Santana exhaled and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You're like the best boyfriend ever." He laughed a bit before Santana leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Do you have plans tonight?"

"No," Artie shrugged.

"So…do you want to spend the night?" Santana asked a bit nervously. "My mom called saying that she'll be later than usual. I'm thinking of ordering a pizza and watching some movies." She explained quickly.

"Sounds great." He smiled.

* * *

After they ate some pizza and watched a movie, Santana decided to go and change. Artie, luckily, had a change of clothes in his car in case he gets slushied at school. Most of glee club was prepared with an extra change of clothes. He went into Santana's room with ease and was able to change.

A short while later, Santana knocked on the door. "Are you decent?"

"Yup," He said as he moved to open the door. "You have an awesome room." He added as she walked in.

"I'd like to think so." Santana looked around. "This was actually my mother's room first. She wanted the other two rooms for herself instead. One is her bedroom and the other is her office."

"So wouldn't your mom have a problem with me being here?" he asked a bit nervously. "What time does she come back?"

"Well she called saying that she is running late and there is a lot of work at her restaurant...and I'm pretty sure she does have a lot of work."

"For some reason, I don't think you believe her." He added sarcastically.

"My parents are way too protective. I know that my mom is seeing someone, but she hasn't told me about him. It sucks…she should know I'm old enough for her to share these things with me. I'm smart enough to know that no restaurant is open until 7 or 8 am."

Artie laughed. "She probably doesn't want to introduce him to you because…"

"she wants to protect me until she's sure that he's the right one." Santana rolled her eyes since that's what everyone keeps telling her.

"I was going to say she probably wants to protect him from you." He laughed.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She giggled. "I made Mike Chang's life hell before I gave my approval for him to date Brit."

"My mom is ridiculously overprotective of me, even before I was in a wheelchair." He admitted. "It's good for them to let loose a bit."

"So where did you tell your mom you would be spending the night?" Santana questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"At Kurt's." Artie admitted. "He's the only one smart enough to cover for me if he has to."

"I'm impressed." Santana smirked. "You have an alibi and bought a spare change of clothes. It's like you were planning on spending the night." She teased.

"It was only a matter of time before you throw yourself all over me." Artie joked.

"I just can't help myself." She added with a suggestive smile before giving him a kiss. She pulled away while keeping Artie wanting more.

"So," he began while trying to catch his breath. "Do you want to finish watching the movies?"

"Let's stay here. I'll get the rest of the movies and watch them here." Santana offered. "It'll be more comfortable in bed." She added before heading to the living room without realizing that Artie turned a deep shade of red. She returned to find Artie in her bed and made himself comfortable. He was sitting with his back supported by her headboard and his legs out in front of him. She couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, is this your side of the bed?" He wondered.

"No, it's fine." She said as she put the DVD into the player and grabbed the remote. "Are you good?" She simply asked.

"I'm great." He replied. He loved that Santana didn't make a big deal about the wheelchair. She always respected that he liked to do things on his own.

"I hope this is a good movie." Santana added as she laid down next to Artie. She put her head on his shoulder and curled up next to him. "Rachel gave all the girls musicals to watch. She said Sweeney Todd is a classic or something."

"She says every musical is a classic." Artie shrugged. The movie started to play and halfway through Santana sat up and started rubbing her own neck as she sat up against the headboard. "Come here." He said as he shifted a bit to rub her shoulders. The two of them were closer than before.

"You're, like, really good at this." She whispered as she let out a deep breath. Artie moved her hair to one side and started kissing her neck. "Really good…" She repeated before she turned around and met his lips with her own.

The two of them were in their own world. While their lips were locked, Santana unzipped Artie's hoodie leaving him in his plain white t-shirt. The two moved so that Artie was lying on his back and Santana was straddling him. She moved her lips to his neck and ear lobe.

Things got hot and heavy. Artie wasted no time pulling her t-shirt off, leaving her in a remarkably sexy black bra. Artie and Santana stopped kissing when Artie pulled her t-shirt over her head. Their eyes locked while they were both trying to catch their breath. The way her messy hair fell partly over her face and how her eyes pierced his put Artie at a loss for words. "You're beautiful." He was practically compelled to say.

Santana blushed as she ran her hand through her hair. "Um…have you ever done _this _before?" She asked, hoping that he knew that "_this_" meant sex. He shook his head to imply no. He turned a bit red. "Listen," She began as she moved off from on top of him and sat to his side.

"Don't get me wrong." Artie quickly explained. "I have a fully-functioning penis…"

Santana let out a little laugh. "It's not that, Artie."

"Then what is it?" he wondered while leaned up with his elbows supporting him.

"We're going too fast." She started. "I have these strong and very real feelings for you, but you told me you loved me. It isn't fair to you if I can't say it back to you. We shouldn't move so fast…"

"Oh," Artie was a bit bummed out.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I don't want you to regret this. Even though I might sound like a total prude, I want your…our first time to be special."

"But this is…"

"Artie, you're this great, smart, funny guy. Think about everything you went through. This should mean a lot to you. I want both of us to be at the same place when we eventually decide to…move to the next step."

Artie paused, knowing that Santana was right. He was just too distracted because things got too intense for him to realize it. "You're right." He spoke softly before a smile crept on his face. "But eventually, you and I will…."

Santana laughed. "Yes, we will…eventually."

"I don't mind waiting, but until then… I'm going to need you to put your shirt back on because those," he paused to look down at her breasts, "are distracting."

Santana grabbed her t-shirt and put it on. "Thank you, Artie."

"For what?"

"For everything." She answered before giving him a short, sweet kiss. She was thankful that he didn't pressure her into doing anything she didn't want to do and she loved how easy he was to talk to.

The two of them decided to turn back to the movie that they abandoned a while ago. They dozed off and had a great night's sleep next to each other.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'd like to say thank you to everyone who reviews/alerts. It means the world to me! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and all the major Santana-Artie developments. I tried to keep it as real as I could without having it get too fluffy. How did I do? I'd love to read your reviews...**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	35. Chapter 35

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own glee or its characters**_

* * *

Brittany and Santana were in the locker room getting ready to start their day. Everyone hated early Monday morning Cheerios practices.

"So Artie wasn't mad or anything?" Brittany asked.

"No, he was cool about it." Santana explained. "Artie is different than other guys. I just think it would mean a lot to him if we waited a bit…even if I sound like a prude."

"I think that's nice that the two of you will wait till you're ready." Quinn added as she approached them from behind. Santana rolled her eyes before turning to face Quinn.

"This doesn't leave the locker room, Quinn." Santana warned. "I'm keeping things with Artie private."

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Quinn defended. "I was being honest. I think it is smart of you to wait." Quinn had a point but Santana didn't want to admit that Quinn was right.

"Let's go before Sue gets angry." Brittany interrupted while trying to stop her two friends from getting into a fight.

"Fine." Santana shut her locker first and was about to leave.

"Santana, they still didn't fix your broken locker. It won't stay shut." Brittany added as she reopened Santana's locker. "Just put your things in mine." Brittany began to move Santana's things.

After practice, all the Cheerios were changing to begin classes. Those two Cheerios, Six and Seven, that Santana hates were snickering about something among themselves. They stopped once they saw Santana and plastered on two fake smiles.

"Awesome party on Friday, right?" Six said.

"Too bad you had to leave so early." Seven added. "How was the movie?" She asked, fully knowing that Santana didn't make it to the movie.

"I heard Puck and Tina had a rough night. I knew you were up to something to break them up." Six smiled. "Classic Santana." The whole team giggled except for Brittany and Quinn. They knew better.

Santana shoved both girls against the lockers causing complete silence in the locker room. "If you two bitches ever decide to get involved with me and Artie, I promise I will ruin your life in this school."

"Calm down, San." Brittany said while moving closer to Santana.

"I'm pretty sure that these two were behind that text message I supposedly sent to Artie from my phone since they were the last ones in here before practice on Friday. They are the same two bitches…" Santana pushed them again against the lockers, "who have been spreading lies about me trying to get between Puck and Tina."

"Oh please," Six moved out of the way, trying to stand up for herself. "You are way too righteous, Santana. The whole school knows how you really are. We know that you had something to do with Puck and Tina breaking up."

"She slept with him or something…" Seven smirked. "Since you've been hooking up with Wheels, your holier-than-thou attitude is exhausting and completely transparent. No one in this school buys it. We know that underneath it all, you're the same old bitch that gets whatever she wants…"

Santana didn't say anything. She was able to shove one girl. Brittany and Quinn quickly held Santana back as she began swinging at both of the girls and yelling various profanities.

"You girls better leave. Now!" Quinn ordered over Santana's screams. The girls rushed out of the locker room while Santana was trying to get free from Brittany's freakishly strong grasp.

"Calm down." Brittany ordered. "I don't like violence." She loosened her grasp.

"They totally deserve more than me shoving them into lockers." Santana vented angrily.

"That's probably right, but it's not smart." Quinn added.

"I don't get it. They went through your locker without you knowing?" Brittany asked. "You cell phone was in there?"

"Yes!" Santana took a deep breath. "I didn't know my locker was broken until you told me about it."

"Forget it, Santana." Quinn tried to reason. "They learned their lesson and everything is good with you and Artie now. There is no need to take things further."

"I agree with Quinn." Brittany spoke up. "Everyone saw what happened and they won't be getting involved. Just let it go."

"Whatever," Santana said as she grabbed her bag and stormed out. She was frustrated that Quinn and Brittany didn't understand where she was coming from. She left the locker room and was going to find Artie. The bell rang and didn't leave her much time to look for him since she had to go to class.

* * *

After her first class, Principal Figgins called Santana into his office to discuss her behavior and how she _bullied _the two Cheerios earlier in the morning. Sue Sylvester was there and was less than pleased by the behavior of her head Cheerio.

"I have a no-violence policy at this school." Principal Figgins began.

"This is an isolated incident," Sue quickly added.

"Please tell me what those girls told you? I can assure you they are lying." Santana argued confidently.

"I sent them home for the day."

"Call them back." Santana demanded.

"Your teammates confirmed their story." He replied. "You will finish the rest of your day and your 3-day suspension begins tomorrow. You will report back to class on Friday."

"That's such crap!" Santana protested.

"You will watch your language in this school. You should be lucky you are not expelled."

"Coach Sylvester, are you hearing this?" Santana turned to her unusually quiet coach.

"I'm beyond disappointed with your behavior, Santana. This has the work of William Schuester written all over it. What would drive my head Cheerio to act so foolishly?"

"You don't understand what those girls did…"

"I don't want to hear it!" Sue interrupted. "You should know better. Just finish your day today and I don't want to see you until Friday." She lashed out at Santana.

Santana spent most of her second period class arguing with Principal Figgins and Sue Sylvester. She tried to explain to them what happened but it didn't achieve much. Figgins kept stating that there is never an excuse for violence.

"There is nothing more to discuss." He added after having heard enough. "I have other students and issues I need to focus on."

Santana got out of her seat and gathered her things. "Do you really? It seems that you pick and choose your battles, Principal."

"Miss Lopez, I expect you to be on your best behavior today…" he continued while trying to let what she said slide.

"Oh please!" She interrupted quite rudely. "The glee club gets bullied and slushied daily and you turn a blind eye. That's hardly fair and you know it."

"I have never seen…" He began.

"That's because you and the rest of the teachers are in the faculty lunch room, completely ignorant to your students. You didn't see me push those girls, but I'm still suspended." She raised her voice.

"Watch your tone, Miss Lopez!" he demanded in a louder voice.

"Just once, leave your lunch room 5 minutes early and I guarantee you'll see at least one glee club member get a slushy to the face. The reason the jocks do it is because this school has become a joke. They know you won't do anything." Santana really needed to work on her temper and keeping her mouth shut.

"You are excused, Miss Lopez." He stated calmly. "Sue, I'd like a word with you."

Sue nodded and told Santana to wait in her office. Santana knew what that meant. Even though Principal Figgins already punished her, Sue had to also enforce her own disciplinary action. Santana was more afraid of her coach than her principal. A few minutes later, Sue walked into her office and shut the door behind her. She took her seat and arranged some stuff on her desk.

"What did…" Santana began.

"Shut up." Sue demanded and Santana obliged. "He wants me to kick you off the Cheerios."

"What?" Santana was shocked. "Are you going to?"

"I convinced him that my team usually acts like a team and that you are just having a bad day. I told him that a 3-day suspension is an acceptable punishment."

"Ok good…" Santana smiled.

"He wasn't happy. Thanks to your uncalled for tirade about you glee club kids getting bullied, he thinks you need further disciplinary action. I have no choice but to remove you as head captain. Quinn will…"

"That's so unfair..." Santana shot back.

"Santana." Sue interrupted her. "If I was in your position, I would seriously, and I mean seriously, consider your next choice of words because the one thing you need to know about my team is that everyone can be replaced…including you. So now, you will shut up and get out of my office." She demanded.

Santana didn't say anything. She simply got out of her seat and left Sue's office. She didn't really feel like seeing anyone during her lunch break or for the rest of the day for that matter. She snuck off into the glee club's choir room to clear her head. She never imagine she'd be the type to eat lunch alone. She considered taking the rest of the day off, but ruled that out as a bad idea. She knew that all the teachers were watching her today.

* * *

After lunch, she sucked it up and finished the rest of her day without a complaint. The highlight of her day was that she had glee club practice and she could at least end her day on a positive note.

Mercedes and Kurt cheered and applauded as Santana walked into the classroom.

"What's that for?" Santana smiled.

"Rachel and Kurt got slushied today." Mercedes smiled.

"So we're applauding that now?" Santana asked with a confused look on her face.

"No, but Figgins saw Karofsky and Azimio do it this time. They're suspended!" Kurt couldn't help but smile.

"The whole school is practically talking about you lashing out at Figgins in his office." Mercedes added.

"Don't get too excited," Mr. Schuester interrupted as he joined everyone. "Santana is also suspended for the rest of the week."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Artie whispered to her as she a seat next to him.

"Not my finest moment." Santana mumbled as she stared Quinn up and down as she practically skipped into the room. Brittany followed Quinn with a sympathetic smile. Santana assumed that both girls knew that Quinn is now the new head Cheerio.

"I'm confused." Mercedes added. "Why are you suspended?"

"Rocky over there beat up two Cheerios." Puck scoffed.

"Shut up, Puck." Santana shot back. "I didn't beat them up."

"She just threatened them…and pushed them a couple of times." Quinn interjected. Santana rolled her eyes, but decided not to say anything else to Quinn. She was in enough trouble as it is.

"That's enough." Mr. Schuester ordered. "I really expect all of you to be on your best behavior in school. We're a team and if one of us is missing, then the whole team suffers."

"I'll be back Friday…that's like 2 practices." Santana countered.

"Sectionals are coming up…" Mr. Schue began.

"And it's so selfish to get suspended." Rachel interrupted. "We need everyone here to practice. How can we do that if you're suspended?" Rachel continued with her little rant.

"Brittany and I will keep Santana up to date." Artie stated calmly.

"Getting in a fight with some Cheerios is not worth us losing sectionals." Rachel stressed.

"We're not going to lose." Finn spoke up. "Santana will just have to work harder when she gets back."

"I agree." Mr. Schuester chimed in. "But since we're talking about sectionals, we will need to…" He drifted off and Santana pretended she was paying attention.

The rest of practice went by smoothly. It was one of their lighter practices- mostly just singing and not a lot of dancing. Afterwards, Santana was walking out of school with Artie.

"So do you want to hang out tonight?" Artie asked.

"I would love to but my mom sent me a text telling me to go straight home."

"She found out about your suspension?"

"She expects me to stay in my room and study all night." She shrugged.

"Why did you do it? Brittany and Quinn filled me in about how you pushed those girls…you should've let it go." Artie reasoned.

Santana exhaled a deep breath and took a seat on a bench. Artie stopped and turned so that he is facing her. "I'm sorry, but I'm just protective…"

"You don't need to protect me." Artie quickly argued back, slightly irritated.

"I was protecting myself." Santana began. "I like what we have and I just don't want my _history_ to ruin things for us."

"I know the real you and you know the real me. Nothing is going to get ruined." He reassured her.

Santana let out a little smile. She didn't feel like dwelling on the issue. "I guess I keep forgetting that."

"We're going to be ok." He added confidently before giving her a kiss.

"Thank you." She whispered as she pulled away. The two of them talked for a short while before Santana had to go home.

Even though she was having a bad day, she loves Artie for always making her feel better. And she loves Artie for being honest with her. Basically, she loves Artie for being Artie.

Actually, Santana loves Artie. Period.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So…what did you think? Hope you liked the developments for Artie and Santana! I have the next few chapters mapped out, so I hope I'll be able to get them written and posted soon. Also, I just want to say thanks to my readers for the alerts/reviews…it means the world to me. Have a safe and great holiday season! Remember to review…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	36. Chapter 36

_**A/N**_

_**First post of the new year! Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer- I don't own glee or its characters**_

* * *

The three day suspension was tough for Santana. Her mom was furious with her and Santana couldn't help but feel guilty. She hated that her mom was disappointed with her and she hated that she let the glee club down. The only highlight of her suspension was the alone time she spent with Artie. After school, he would go to her house or she would go to his. Surprisingly, they grew much closer during those three days.

Santana tried telling Artie that she loved him, but it never felt like the right time. Someone or something would interrupt them. She was glad she didn't tell him how she felt. She wanted to say it when the moment was perfect, not while they're doing homework or talking about glee club.

On Friday morning, when Santana was walking back into school, people were whispering about her. She didn't care. More importantly, she wasn't going to address the numerous rumors that were swirling around about her suspension. A little mystery goes a long way. After grabbing her books, she spotted Artie joking around with a bunch of guys. She was a bit confused. These guys weren't his regular friends.

"Hi," Santana said uneasily as she joined them.

"Welcome back." Artie smiled.

"Can I talk to you for a minute…alone?" She asked while leading Artie away from the guys he was with. When they were alone, she turned to Artie. "Who are they?"

"Oh, the guys…we're just hanging out." Artie explained casually.

"I'm just a bit surprised you're friends with them. The football team doesn't seem like your type of guys." She shrugged. "Weren't they the same ones who flush your glasses down the toilet?"

"About that…" Artie smirked as he unzipped his hoodie to show Santana his football jersey underneath. "We're kind of cool now that I'm on the football team."

Santana shook her head slightly, unsure if she heard him correctly. "What? You're on the football team?"

"Yeah!" Artie said enthusiastically. "I made Brittany promise not to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise!" He smiled.

"Um, but you're in a wheelchair." Santana stated the obvious.

"I know, but we talked to Coach Beiste about it and we worked something out. We checked the rules and we're doing nothing wrong." His smile faded a bit after noticing Santana's expression. "I thought you'd be happy about this?"

"It's a horrible idea. What if you get hurt?" She blurted out. Artie frowned a little bit. "Why didn't you tell me about this from before?" She argued while trying to keep her voice down. She didn't want draw attention to them.

"I just thought it would be a good idea to do things other than glee club. It'll look good on my college application." He explained. "I thought you'd like this."

The bell rang before Santana could say anything. She was a bit glad that the bell interrupted them because she didn't know what to say. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Artie's feelings, but she also wanted to be honest with him.

"Hey Artie, are you coming with us?" One of the football players asked. Artie smiled weakly at Santana before joining the rest of his new friends. Santana was left in the middle of the hallway, completely confused to what happened. She was not expecting so much to change in three days.

* * *

After Santana's first class, which seemed to drag on endlessly, she decided to go see the counselor.

"Santana, hi." Miss Pillsbury said as she looked up at her from her desk. "Have a seat." Santana sat down across the counselor. "I'm sorry. I think this is the first time you've ever come here. Is everything ok?"

Santana looked down at her hands before making eye contact with the counselor. She wasn't comfortable talking to her. "I'm sorry, but I'm out of options. Coach Sylvester isn't really happy with me now for me to talk to her."

"Well, Santana. First, you don't need to apologize. I'm glad you came to me." She smiled. Santana felt a bit relieved. "Does this have something to do with Artie?"

Santana's eyes shot wide open. "H-how did you know?"

"I just figured that you've been gone for a bit and a lot has changed." She explained.

"He's on the football team." Santana began, unsure what to think. "I think it's dangerous and stupid. He doesn't even like football."

"Did you talk to him about this?"

"He's probably mad at me. I wasn't very supportive."

"Coach Beiste and the school board don't seem to find it dangerous. There is no rule prohibiting a boy in a wheelchair to play."

"I always felt that Artie accepted his future in the wheelchair. Despite everything he's gone through, I love that he's always positive." Santana paused before deciding to continue. "Some times I feel like he's lying to me...or to himself."

"What do you mean?" The counselor pressed with a bit more concern in her voice.

"I think he puts up a front. It just doesn't make any sense why he suddenly joined the team?"

"Santana, do you mind if we call Artie in here. I don't want to speak for him, but maybe if I help you get across to him then maybe you'll feel better."

"I guess." Santana hesitated before she finally agreed. She was worried about how quickly and secretly Artie changed. A few minutes later the counselor came back with Artie following behind.

"San, is everything ok?" Artie said as he rolled up next to Santana.

"So, Santana and I were talking and we thought you should join us here." Miss Pillsbury began.

"Yeah?" Artie questioned. "Is this about the football team thing?"

"Yes." Santana blurted out.

"Do we have to talk about it here?" Artie looked at the counselor before looking back at Santana.

"I'm just trying to help both of you." Miss Pillsbury explained. She knew that Artie wasn't very accepting for guidance. As a counselor, she wasn't going to stop helping her students.

"I don't want your help." He argued back. "And why did you talk to her about anything?" He addressed Santana.

"I thought she can help us." Santana thought it was pretty obvious.

"Sorry, Miss P. but unless it's about college applications or which courses to take, then I don't want your help."

"That's fine, Artie." She answered calmly. "I just think you need to talk to someone."

"I'll talk to Santana alone. Not every couple in this school is going to come to you for advice. Some things will remain private." Artie added curtly before leaving the office.

"I'm sorry," Santana whispered before following Artie. She caught up with him in the hallway. "What's wrong with you? You were rude. I asked for her help." At this point, the two of them made it to a empty classroom.

"I don't like Miss Pillsbury." He paused and Santana gave him a look to indicate he should continue. He took a deep breath before going on. "Last year, she tried to get me to visit her regularly so we can discuss me being in a wheelchair. I had to convince my parents that it wasn't necessary."

"Did she have a reason to…"Santana started before being cut off.

"When Bryan Ryan came by the school last year, I wrote down that my dream is to dance. She found out and blew things out of proportion. She talked to my parents and I had to convince them that I am ok with being in a wheelchair. I didn't need to talk to anyone."

"I think she was just trying to do her job."

"Her job is to help students that ask for her help. She has no right to get involved in my personal issues." He defended.

"Ok, I understand." Santana decided not to push him any further. "As your girlfriend, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not completely thrilled with you being on the football team."

"I want to do it." He defended with a fake sense of confidence. Santana saw right through it.

"You don't like football. I thought soccer was the only sport you wanted to play. At least that's what you told me when we were in Cleveland."

"I changed my mind." Artie shrugged.

"You're being difficult." She snapped, finally being fed up. Santana was trying her best to control her temper and reason with Artie, but his attitude wasn't helping.

"I thought you'd like this." He argued. "I'm on the football team and you're on the Cheerios. It's a perfect match. You won't have to worry about other people talking about us." He explained.

"Is this what this is about?" She finally figured it out.

"At first, it was about us being popular." He admitted. "But now, I actually like it… and the guys are all cool and it's fun." The two of them were quiet for a bit. Santana wanted to say something but Artie beat her to it.

"I know you're just back to school after your suspension and won't be cheering with the Cheerios at the game because of missed practices, but I'd love it if my girlfriend would be at the game tonight."

"Ok," Santana said with a weak smile. She wasn't completely happy with the idea, but seeing Artie light up was worth it.

"Thank you, San." He added with a radian smile

"Anything for you, Artie." She just gave him a short kiss on the lips before the two of them went off for lunch.

Santana hated lying to Artie, but he needed her support. She still wasn't happy about him joining the football team. She wasn't happy with all of these sudden changes. Santana decided that the best thing she could do is just stand by Artie with whatever he is going through.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**First, I want to say I'm sorry about the delays in updating. I'll try not to go too long without posting. I have a very solid idea of where this story is heading and hopefully I will be able to put it into words. **_

_**Now, the important part…what did everyone think of this chapter? I was trying to develop Artie more. Even though Santana is my favorite character, Artie's storyline on the show needs to be explored. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear it!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**A/N: **_

_**There is nothing I can say to make up for the delay for posting. I just hope this chapter makes up for it a tiny bit. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: It's quite obvious by now that I don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Santana parked her car far away and walked towards the football field. She never saw the parking lot so full. As a Cheerio, she usually gets there before the traffic and leaves after everyone else. She doesn't remember the last time she came to a football game without cheering. As she was walking in, she spotted Mercedes and Tina.

"Hey, San." Mercedes called over as the two joined Santana. "Why aren't you with the Cheerios?"

"I missed too many practices because of my suspension." Santana shrugged. She didn't feel like explaining that to everyone at the game. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came for Artie." Mercedes explained.

"Thanks. That would mean a lot to him." Santana smiled weakly, feeling a bit guilty that she isn't as supportive as everyone else seems to be.

"Rachel and Kurt are saving our seats. We shouldn't leave them alone for too long. They'll probably get kicked out." Mercedes joked.

"She's serious." Tina nodded. "They tried to silence everyone during the national anthem so they can have a duet."

"I'm just surprised that Kurt is here too." Santana joked a bit. "Kurt isn't the type to spend his Friday nights watching sports."

"Despite everything that goes down, we're here to support our gleeks." Tina revealed, indicating that she doesn't want any sort of confrontation with Santana or Puck.

"We have to get going. The game is about to start." Mercedes added as she led the way.

"You can sit with us." Tina told Santana. "You might actually be able to explain what goes on during these games."

"Sounds good." She wasn't expecting Tina, of all people, to be the most welcoming. She followed Tina and Mercedes all the way up the stands. They were in the middle of the row and a little more than halfway up. The game had started and Artie was still not in the game. It was a pretty slow start.

"Go our team-that-I'm-sure-is-the-one-in-red!" Kurt yelled dryly while waving around one pom-pom.

"You're supposed to return those once you quit the Cheerios." Santana explained.

"This was the only way we were able to convince him to come. He wouldn't be here if he didn't have a pom-pom to swing around." Mercedes laughed.

"Look! Mike is running somewhere really fast…it looks like something we should be cheering!" Rachel exclaimed while jumping out of her seat. "Go Mike from glee club!" Rachel screamed, reminding everyone why she would make a horrible cheerleader.

"Rachel's right!" Mercedes and everyone else stood up and started cheering. The whole McKinley section was on their feet. Mike scored a touchdown and bringing the losing McKinley team closer to evening out the game.

The rest of the game was intense and everyone, including Kurt, was focusing their attention on the field. Coach Beiste called Artie into the game. Santana was a bit surprised that Rachel and Mercedes started cheering him on. Tina, Kurt and Santana followed suit. Santana's breath grew shorter as she grew more anxious.

She didn't know how it was going to work. Artie didn't explain to Santana how he was going to be used by the team. He knew that it wouldn't help his case if he told her that he'll be a battering ram. Everyone in the stands was standing up, waiting for Artie to secure the slight lead that McKinley had in the game. Santana folded her hands nervously and took in a deep breath as she watched anxiously.

The play had begun and people began cheering passionately as Finn rolled Artie towards the end-zone. Santana didn't feel any better. She knows athletes have adrenaline running through them during a close game, so she was afraid that some huge linebacker would just knock-over both Finn and Artie. She wanted them to win, but there was a lot more at stake for her. Santana looked down for a bit and her head shot right back up when the cheering became louder. The play ended with Artie making a touchdown, securing their lead. No one noticed that Santana wasn't looking at the field during the winning play.

There was very little time left in the game and they were trying to run out the clock. The other team was playing aggressively and Santana was lucky that Artie was called out of the game shortly after scoring. Puck wasn't as lucky. He and a player on the other team started butting heads. They were separated by some players and continued on with the game.

"Looks Puck's _badassery_ might get him into trouble." Kurt joked.

"Are you surprised?" Tina quipped. "Let's just hope this game ends on a good note." Tina was still fed up with Puck. Unfortunately, Tina spoke too soon. A linebacker unexpectedly tackled Puck a few mere seconds after the last play. People in the crowds started booing for the unnecessary hit. They were quickly silenced when Puck didn't get up. The McKinley team rushed over to him. Tina raced down the stands, with Rachel and Mercedes following her. Kurt and Santana were shortly behind. Santana took off her Cheerios jacket and put it over Tina's shoulders.

When they tried to get onto the field, the assistant coach told them they weren't allowed on.

"She's a Cheerio." Santana lied.

"She's not in uniform…" The faculty member argued.

"Because she's the newest member. I would know. I've been kicked off and she's my inadequate replacement. Why else would you think I would be spending a Friday night with these glee losers." Santana continued to lie in her bitchy tone. It made her sound more natural. "Unless you want Coach Sylvester on your bad side, I would highly recommend that you put her Cheerio on the field."

"She even has pom-poms." Mercedes took them from Kurt and gave them to Tina.

"Fine." The assistant coach hesitated before letting Tina on the field.

"That's was nice of you, Santana." Rachel gushed.

"Whatever, Berry." Santana rolled her eyes. "I need a jacket, now." She added as she rubbed her own arms.

"We could go into the school if it wasn't locked." Mercedes thought out loud.

"I know a way in." Rachel said as she led the way. None of them seemed to mind that Rachel knew how to break into the school. The four of them were inside and Kurt gave Santana a sweater he keeps in his locker.

"Thanks, Kurt." Santana said while she adjusted the sleeves. "By the way, you know I didn't mean those things about you being losers."

"We know." Mercedes added while Rachel and Kurt nodded their heads in agreement.

"I knew Tina wasn't over Puck. I've never seen her run so fast." Kurt joked.

"I hope he's ok." Rachel added as she got out her cell phone and began sending a text. The four of them decided to head back out to the football field to see what was happening. By that time, almost everyone had left. They ran into Tina who was looking for them..

"Where's Puck?" Rachel asked.

"They took him to the hospital. They say he might have a concussion." Tina explained.

"Did anyone go with him in the ambulance? Mr. Schuester was on the field…" Kurt started.

"He wanted Quinn to go with him." Tina added, trying to not sound bitter.

"I'm sor-" Rachel began.

"Don't finish that sentence." Tina quickly interrupted. "I'm the one who is sorry. I looked like a fool running out there like that. I really thought I moved on. I want to move on."

"Tina, it's ok to still care about Puck." Mercedes reasoned.

"We're all worried about him." Rachel tried to make Tina feel better by putting her arm around her.

"Can we just get out of here?" Tina didn't want to keep talking about Puck.

"Let's go get something to eat." Kurt suggested.

"I'd much rather go with you guys than go with Finn to some stupid party where I don't know anyone." Rachel rolled her eyes. "It's such a stupid post-game ritual."

"They never know when they'll win again, so they make sure they can party every chance they get." Santana replied sarcastically.

"We should get going though. It's getting a bit late." Tina began. "Thanks for the jacket, Santana." She said as she gave it back to her.

"You guys aren't leaving yet, are you?" Finn asked as he approached them with Artie, Brittany and Mike following behind.

"We're going to check on Puck." Brittany added.

"I don't think hospital staff would allow all of us to be there at once." Mercedes spoke up, trying to find a way for Tina not to go with them.

"We'll take shifts going in. It will only take like 5 minutes. He'll probably be drugged out anyway." Mike explained.

"You never know, guys. He might be seriously hurt." Brittany said with a sympathetic smile. "He has no one there except Quinn."

"Yeah, we should go." Tina mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. She didn't want to draw any more attention to herself by not going. She felt it was better just to suck it up and see Puck.

A part of her also wanted to make sure he was ok. As much as she tried, she couldn't stop caring about him, regardless of how bad he hurt her.

* * *

They headed towards the parking lot and for some reason, the tension between Artie and Santana could be cut with a knife. Santana felt Artie wasn't being himself with her. She walked over to him and led him aside.

"Good game." She smiled after giving him a short kiss on the lips. She felt a bit rejected since he pulled away sooner than she would've liked.

"Thanks." He spoke indifferently.

"Is everything ok?" Santana asked as her mood began to change. She wasn't having the best of days.

"Yeah." He looked away at everyone as they began to get into their cars. Artie was lying and Santana knew it. She also hated that he wasn't giving her all of his attention while she was trying to be serious.

"Artie, if I did something wrong…"

"Santana, listen." Artie started which caused her to stop talking. "I don't want to talk." He shrugged. "We won my first game today and hopefully Puck will be fine, so let's just end this day on a good note."

"Why would talking to me not be a good thing?"

Artie looked up at her. "I don't want to talk. Plain and simple." He insisted again.

Santana didn't know what to say. She did her best not to lash out at him. She hated when Artie was this difficult or stubborn. "Fine." She finally let out, quietly. "I'll see you at the hospital." She did her best to hide that she was quite hurt.

Santana got into her car alone and sped out of the parking lot. After the game, Santana had planned on telling Artie that she loved him. It just seemed like the perfect moment. Clearly, things didn't go as planned. She was glad she didn't say it when there is something obviously bothering him.

As she was driving, Santana couldn't help but wonder why it was starting to feel harder to tell Artie how she really felt. A thousand thoughts started to rush through her head. As she stopped at a red light, it hit her. Santana wasn't having doubts about telling Artie that she loves him. It was much worse.

She was having doubts about Artie.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'm so sorry for the delay but everything has been so hectic with studying/school/work. I'm glad I finally got this chapter posted because I've been thinking about it for the longest time. I would love to hear you thoughts, opinions, comments so please…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	38. Chapter 38

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own glee or its awesome characters**_

* * *

At the hospital, everyone was in the waiting room. Surprisingly, the hospital staff let them all hang around. Rachel threatened to call the ACLU if the hospital gave them a tough time. Luckily, it didn't come to that. They were allowed to go in 3 at a time. Everyone took turns to go see Puck. Afterwards, they hung around the waiting room.

Santana and Tina were sitting next to each other and away from everyone else. They were the last two who hadn't gone in to see Puck.

"I'll go in with you to make it really awkward for Quinn and Puck." Santana shrugged.

"I'm not looking forward to seeing her play nurse and seeing him enjoy every moment of it." Tina added dryly. Santana let out a little laugh. There was a brief pause in their conversation.

"Why is Artie avoiding you?" Tina asked while turning to look at Santana.

"You noticed that too?" Santana kept looking ahead at Artie, while he was talking to Mike and Kurt.

"He's not very subtle."

"He's mad at me. I'm not sure why." Santana observed. "He has no right to be. I went to the stupid game for him."

"I'm assuming you don't want him on the team?" Tina concluded.

"It's so unlike him to want to play football." She confided. "Besides, I told him how I felt and it didn't change anything. He's still on that stupid team."

"I know exactly what you're talking about. He can be so difficult." Tina added. "I had the same issue with Artie when he wanted to dance, but I may have pushed him into it."

"He told me about that after we talked to Ms. Pillsbury." Santana replied casually.

"You made Artie talk to her?" Tina whispered. "He hates her!"

"I-I tried." Santana whispered back nervously. "But, I talked to him after and we're cool now…or at least I thought we were." There was a brief pause. "I never had these problems when it was just sex and no strings." Santana said out of frustration.

"Such a class act." Tina added sarcastically and Santana let out a bit of a laugh. She was just frustrated with Artie.

Shortly after, Mercedes and Rachel walked out of Puck's room and towards Tina and Santana. "Let's get this over with." Tina whispered to the girls as she led the way into the hospital room.

"Don't worry, Tina." Santana added from behind. "This will be way more uncomfortable for Puck and Quinn than for us." She added with a shrug and a little smirk. They walked inside the room and saw Puck trying to sleep and Quinn texting on her phone.

"If you're trying to sleep, we can come back later." Tina said, catching their attention.

He looked at them. "No, y-you can stay." Puck replied.

"How are you feeling? We just came to see if you're ok." Santana spoke up.

"We won't stay for long. You should really get some sleep." Tina stated. "The nurses are kind of rushing us anyway." She lied and he noticed. He didn't say anything.

"Thanks for coming." Puck smiled weakly.

As Tina and Santana were about to leave, Puck's mother and sister walked into the hospital room. "Noah!" his mom began. "How are you feeling? Is everything ok? Where is the doctor? I came as fast as I could."

"Mom, I'm fine." Puck said while turning a bit red. Santana and Quinn tried not to laugh at Puck for being embarrassed.

"Tina, thank you for calling me." His mother said as she gave her an unexpected hug. "I came as soon as I was able to get someone to cover my shift."

"Are you ok, Noah?" His younger sister, Abby, asked as she approached him and held his hand out of concern.

"I'm fine." He smiled while squeezing her hand a little bit.

"But why…" She began before Tina cut her off.

"He's fine, Abby." Tina reassured her. "He just needs to sleep. He's tired." Puck shot Tina a little smile as a thank you for stopping his sister from worrying about him.

"Tina, do you mind staying behind with Puck while I drop Abby off at our neighbor's. I don't want her to stay here overnight."

"Mom, there is no need for you to spend the night. I'm fine." Puck tried to reason with her.

"I'm going to stay here until I see the doctor and make sure you're ok. I just need to drop Abby off with…"

"I don't like Mrs. Roberts. She's old." Abby complained. "Can't Tina sleep over?" Puck's mom and sister liked Tina a lot. They thought she was good for Puck. He was getting in less trouble and doing better in school thanks to Tina. She was a positive influence on him.

"You know, I can spend the night watching Abby. If you don't mind." Tina offered, feeling sympathy for the little girl.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked, feeling a bit jealous. She was never this close to Puck's mother or sister.

"I don't mind. I'll call your mother to see if she's ok with it." Puck's mom left the room to talk and returned shortly after. Tina's mom had become friends with Puck's mom, so she didn't have a problem with Tina spending the night watching over Puck's sister.

"We should get going before it gets too late." Tina spoke up.

"Thank you, Tina." His mom said with a smile. "Abby, don't give her any trouble."

"I won't." The little girl insisted. "Feel better, Noah."

"I'll keep in touch with you, Ms. Puckerman." Tina nodded before leaving. She didn't even acknowledge Puck. Even if his mom and sister liked Tina and she liked them, she didn't want him to think that they're relationship was fine. Just because he got hurt during the game and that she is doing a favor for his family, it does not mean that everything is fine between them.

Shortly after, everyone decided to leave the hospital since it was getting late. While they were walking towards the hospital parking lot, Tina and Santana were talking outside Tina's car. Puck's sister was in the back seat, buckled up.

"Thanks for being cool with everything today." Santana admitted.

"I don't think I was completely fair to you about the whole Puck thing anyway." Tina shrugged.

"Let's forget about that." She added, desperate to put it behind her.

"Before I go, I know it's not my place to say anything about you and Artie, but I think you should hear me out." Tina paused. Santana didn't object, so Tina continued. "The one thing I would go back and change about my relationship with Artie is that I should've been patient. I know he can be hard to talk to, but he's actually very sensitive and likes to keep to himself. It really sucks most of the time, but he'll come around and open up to you. Trust me, he's a great guy who is so worth the wait."

Santana didn't know how to react to Tina's advice. Even though Tina made sense, Santana was confused. Does Tina regret breaking up with Artie? Is she telling her that if Santana ends it with him, then she'll go back to Artie?

"I'm sorry." Tina started again. "It wasn't my place. Artie is just a friend and I tend to be a bit protective of him."

"Do you want to be with him?" Santana cut to the point.

"What?" Tina exclaimed. "Is that what you think?" She let out a little laugh.

"It sounds like…"

"I have no intention of getting back with Artie, or anyone for that matter. After being with Puck, I'm going to take a little break from boys." Tina confided.

"It just sounded like you still had feelings for him."

"He's one of my best friends and I want the best for him." She replied with confidence. "That doesn't mean that we'll start dating. We make good friends. Nothing more."

"Oh," Santana was a bit embarrassed for blowing things out of proportion.

"I was just giving you advice because it seems like you two are a good for each other. You two have really come into your own once you started dating."

"You think so?" Santana questioned.

"Before school started this year, did you ever think you'd be coming up with your own musical numbers for glee club while dating Artie, the football player?" Tina replied with a smile.

"Definitely not." Santana admitted sheepishly.

"Just give Artie some time and he'll open up to you. Even though you didn't ask for it, that's my advice for you."

"Thank you, Tina." Santana admitted with a smile.

"No problem. As much as I would love to continue to talk about failed relationships, I really should get going. Have a good night."

"Take care." Santana added before heading off towards her car. Santana made it to her car and as she got in, she saw Artie riding with Finn and Rachel. She waved at him and gave him a little smile before driving off.

Santana was starting to feel better thanks to Tina, of all people. Santana had a lot to think about. She knew Tina was giving her some good advice, but that doesn't mean Santana was going to take it.

Patience is clearly not one of Santana's greatest virtues.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. It was a change of pace to show a bit of Puck and Tina's failed relationship and I also wanted Santana and Tina to make amends. It will definitely serve a greater purpose later on. I know this chapter didn't have a lot of Artie, but trust me, things are about to get heated with our favorite couple! So…please review! I would greatly appreciate your comments.**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	39. Chapter 39

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

Santana spent most of Saturday morning with her mother. She was constantly checking her phone expecting a call or text from Artie. She couldn't understand why he was being so difficult. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. She was the type to be honest…too honest at times. Santana just wished everything was out in the open. Artie should just come out and tell her what's wrong.

At around 1 in the afternoon, Santana got a call. She looked at the screen and smiled a little when her caller ID flashed _Artie Home_.

"Hi," she answered while sounding a little bit cheerful.

"Hello, Santana. This is Lily…Artie's mom."

"Oh, hi Lily." Santana replied nervously. "Is everything ok?"

"Things are fine, but I was calling to ask for a favor."

"Of course." Santana quickly replied.

"Would you be able to come over? This is regarding Artie and the football team. You're important to him so maybe he'll be more willing to open up if you're here." Lily explained.

"I can come over now, if you like."

"That would be great." His mother replied.

Santana wanted to be there for Artie. A part of her wanted to explain that Artie isn't opening up to her either. She figured that if his mother called, then she should put her selfishness aside and help out any way she can.

After talking to her mother and explaining the whole situation to her, Santana was allowed to go. She pulled up into Artie's driveway and parked behind a car she hadn't seen at Artie's house before. She shrugged and rang the doorbell. Artie's mother answered the door, greeted her, and let her in.

"Thank you for coming." Lily said. "I thought you should be here.

Santana liked how his mother made her feel welcome. She followed Lily into the living room and saw Artie sitting with his back to her. She looked around and saw his dad across of him. What surprised her was that Emma Pillsbury was sitting to the right of Artie.

"Hello Santana." The counselor greeted with a warm smile.

"Hi…" Santana replied with a confused look on her face. She took a seat next to Artie, but he didn't really acknowledge her. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to see you, Miss Pillsbury."

"Emma called us yesterday regarding Artie being on the football team. She was sharing her concerns about Artie." His mother explained.

"I still don't get why she had to come today." Artie said a bit rudely and the counselor stiffened up a little bit.

"Because we asked her to come and we're glad she did." His father replied. He was not accepting his son to be rude.

"I thought we talked about this yesterday before the game." Santana spoke up. "We talked to Miss Pillsbury and everything was fine."

"What did you talk about?" His father asked. Santana didn't know why she was nervous talking to Artie's dad.

"I went to her because I was surprised that Artie wanted to play football. He's never shown an interest before."

"That's true." His dad added.

"Mr. Abrams," The counselor interrupted. "This isn't about Artie being on the football team, but my concern when I called you was that I don't feel Artie has fully accepted the limitations of being in a wheelchair."

"I know I'm in a wheelchair and I will always be in a chair, but I joined the football team because it's different." Artie continued to be rude.

"Is that the only reason you joined the team?" Miss Pillsbury questioned before his parents could say anything. "We're just surprised by your sudden interest. I'm trying to understand that."

"Unlike you, I'm not afraid to try new things." Artie defended while making an insult at her known hygiene habits.

Emma chose to ignore his remark. "When I was talking to Santana yesterday, she told me she had concerns about you playing football. I know it wasn't her idea to have you try out for the football team. I want to know if there is anyone else who may have suggested it or talked you into it."

"Is it because you have friends on the team?" His mom rationalized.

"It was my idea to try out." He shrugged. "Why is it such a big deal? I won't get hurt."

"You don't know that. With any sport, there is a chance of getting hurt." Santana explained.

"You're not helping." Artie turned to her. "You've said enough, actually."

Santana stiffened up out of embarrassment. "It's the truth, Artie." She replied. Santana wasn't one to back out from an argument.

"Santana is a cheerleader. Did you think being on the football team would make things easier for you two as a couple? I know high school can be tough and students are shallow. They look at these things." Emma questioned.

Artie and Santana were a bit surprised at how accurate she was. It kind of reminded them of how good she was at doing her job. She hit the nail right on the head. Artie didn't say anything.

"I don't care if Artie is on the team or not."

"No, you do care. You don't want me to play football." Artie argued.

"No, I don't want you on the stupid team." Santana shot back. "It scares me when you're out there. You're used like a battering ram. Do you really think that during an intense game that some 200 pound football player will not tackle you just because you're in a wheelchair?" At this point, Santana didn't care that she was arguing with him in front of his parents.

"I'm so sick of being reminded of what I can or can't do because I'm in a wheelchair."

"Artie, this is why I'm here." The counselor added quickly before Santana could say something. "Your parents and I want to arrange for you to come to my office once or twice a week to talk about this. High school will put you in situations where you will be under peer pressure and you'll have to be able to make your own decisions."

"Gee, thanks for that generic piece of advice." Artie mocked.

"Artie, you will not talk like that in my house." Artie's dad demanded. Artie turned a bit red.

"What I'm trying to say is that the harsh reality is that you will not be able to do everything your peers can do."

"I know that." He defended. "I'm not stupid. I'm aware of my abilities. Football happens to be one of those abilities."

"Ok, fine." Emma admitted.

"But what's next?" His mother spoke up. "Last year, you bought tap shoes with Tina because you wanted to dance."

"I've accepted that." He let out softly while a bit embarrassed. "We've moved on."

"The reason I want to meet with you regularly is so that I can help you adjust to being more independent. It's something your parents and I want from you."

"Artie, your father and I realize that we might have been too protective of you. We won't always be around and we want you to be on your own."

"I want that too." Artie explained.

"But you're not being responsible about it." His father explained. "Your mother and I won't always tell you what to do, but we need to trust that you'll be able to make the right decisions. It's going to be much harder for you than other kids your age. And you have to understand that trying to dance with your crutches or joining the football team are not the right things to do."

Santana had been sitting quietly for some time now. She was watching how Artie interacts with his parents. She always imagined that they had a perfect family life. It was strange seeing Artie not have the answers to everything. She had never seen him this vulnerable before. It was a different side to the Artie who always knew what to say and how to make her feel better. She felt that now she was the one who had to be there for him.

The room had grown silent for about a minute before Artie spoke up. "So we can meet Mondays during second period. That's my free class. " He addressed Emma while feeling defeated. It broke Santana's heart to see him hurt. "But, I'm not leaving the football team." He insisted.

Before his mother could protest, his father spoke up. "Fine."

"If you don't mind, I would like to be excused." Artie asked in a low, yet commanding voice. His father nodded with permission before Artie left the room. Santana stayed with Artie's parents and Miss Pillsbury in the living room.

"Thank you for coming, Santana. And Miss Pillsbury thanks for your help." His mom smiled. "We're sorry if we made you uncomfortable."

"Not at all." Santana lied. She was a little uncomfortable at first. "Actually, thank you for calling me."

"I know my son and how difficult he can be. We appreciate that you both came today." His father reiterated the same sentiments.

"It was absolutely no trouble." Emma stated.

"Do you mind if I go see him?" Santana asked.

"Go right ahead." His mom replied. Santana left the three adults to talk while she walked over to Artie's room. The door wasn't completely closed. She knocked lightly before letting herself in.

Artie was lying down on his bed with his eyes closed under his glasses. Santana took a seat on the edge of his bed to face him. She placed her hand over his.

"Hi," she whispered. "Do you want to talk?" Artie didn't reply. He just moved his hand from under hers. "I don't understand. Yesterday, we left school and everything was good between us. Then after the game you ignored me. I don't know what I did. Now I know what was bothering you, but why didn't you talk to me last night."

Artie opened his eyes to look at Santana. "I came home from school yesterday to find out that our guidance counselor had spoken to my parents about her concerns. My parents talked to me about it and it just…pissed me off."

"And if I didn't talk to Miss Pillsbury in the first place, then this would've never happened." Santana pieced it all together. "That's so stupid, Artie. I was worried about you and I needed to talk to someone. My intention is never to hurt you or embarrass you."

"That's funny." Artie spat out. "Because that's exactly what you ended up doing. It was humiliating having Miss Pillsbury and my parents tell me what I can or can't do. I thought you, my girlfriend, understood where I was coming from. Instead, you joined them."

"Artie, I care about you. I'm not going to lie to you by telling you that playing football is a good idea."

"I'm staying on the team." He insisted. "Every day I'm reminded of my…limitations. Do you really think that every place in Lima is accessible to me?"

"I know it's not." She repeated. "And neither is the football field."

"I'm staying on the team." He repeated.

Santana didn't say anything for a few seconds. "You know, Miss Pillsbury said something earlier about me being a cheerleader. Maybe that could have pressured you into joining the football team…" She began.

"Are you seriously making this about you right now? At first, for maybe a minute, I thought that being on the football team would be good for both of us as a couple, but now it's just because I like being part of a sports team."

"I'm making sure that this has nothing to do with me being a Cheerio." Santana repeated.

"Sorry, but not everything is about you." Artie argued a bit harshly.

Santana brushed it off. "Good," she began calmly. "So it won't be a problem if I quit the Cheerios."

"What?"

"I'm thinking of leaving the Cheerios." She repeated.

"No, I heard you." Artie said. "I just don't believe that you, of all people, would leave the Cheerios." Artie paused for a brief moment. "If this is your attempt to quit the Cheerios so I would quit the team, then it isn't going to work." He countered.

Santana took a deep breath before saying anything. "Let's just drop it, ok?" She gave up trying to reason with Artie right now. He was too thick headed to have a serious conversation with.

The two of them didn't say anything. Artie was still lying down on his bed with Santana sitting next to him. Santana decided to change the subject and try to cheer Artie up.

"Do you have anything planned for tonight? My mom will be at work and we…"

"I'm not sure. I'll let you know." Artie replied quickly.

Santana decided to take another deep breath. "Listen, I'm going to give you some time to figure out whatever is going on with you. I understand that you're still mad at me and I'm sorry if I hurt you. I just hope you'll come around soon and realize that I…I love you."

She finally said those three words she had always struggled to say. She was able to tell him that she loved him. Of course, it wasn't the best time to say it and not as perfect as she hoped, but she was happy she said it. She told him that she loved him when she felt that he needed to hear it.

A few seconds had passed by with just silence. They felt like an eternity to her. Santana felt more hurt when he didn't say anything. She was completely confused now. She apologized and tried to make him understand, but he was still driving her away. She squeezed his hand as she gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving his room.

She made it to her car and drove off. Santana was glad she made it out of there without getting into a bigger fight with Artie. She felt rejected by him. The more she thought about it, her feelings of hurt turned to feelings of anger. She didn't do anything wrong and Artie was being selfish. What hurt her even more was that she laid everything out in the open to Artie by telling him how she felt. It wasn't easy for Santana to speak about her emotions and be vulnerable.

Once she made it home, she went straight to her room and called Brittany.

"What are you and Mike doing tonight?" Santana asked quickly.

"Mike is hanging out with the guys. I have no plans yet."

"I heard there is a killer party held by one of the guys at Dalton Academy. We're going."

"Are you sure you want to go? More guys show up than girls." Brittany tried to understand Santana's motives.

"You make it sound like a bad thing?" Santana laughed. "I'll pick you up at 8:30." She added before hanging up.

Artie might stay in his room and sulk, but Santana was not the same. She was going to do what she does best and that's putting herself first. All she wants to do tonight is go out with Brittany and raise some hell. This is classic Santana making her return.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Sorry for the delay but I hope a longer chapter makes up for it. Please review this chapter! I really wanted to discuss Artie joining the football team and how Santana deals with it. I'm going to keep him on the team, but I feel this is chapter shows a real side of Artie and Santana's relationship. Of course, things are getting complicated for Artana. I hope I did this chapter justice. Let me know what you think- I'd love to hear it!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	40. Chapter 40

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**

* * *

**_

After Santana left his house, Artie decided to get out of bed and out of the house. He thought getting out of the house would help him clear his head. He was right. He met up with Mike before going to Puck's house. The doctors let Puck out of the hospital earlier in the morning, but he had to take it easy for a few more days just to be on the safer side. The three of them were hanging out in Puck's room. Artie was tuning a guitar as Puck strummed away casually and Mike flipped through a magazine.

"Is this kid seriously reading? On a weekend?" Puck joked. "And why are you reading Cosmo?"

"The better question is why do you have Cosmo in your room?" Artie countered. "Is there something you'd like to share with us, Puck?" He and Mike laughed.

"Dude, my mom was here keeping an eye on me while I slept. She must've left it here. She worries too much, even though the doctors said I'm fine."

"Oh, so now your mom is the one who left it here?" Artie added sarcastically.

"It's ok, Puck." Mike said after letting out a little laugh. "We won't judge you. We understand if you want to get in touch with your feminine side."

"I'll get in touch with your mom's feminine side!" Puck shot back, causing Artie to laugh.

"Please! You're afraid of my mom." Mike shrugged it off.

Puck's face turned a little red. "It's kind of true." He began as he faced Artie sheepishly. "When I was 7, she made me eat a chicken feet salad. Have you seen a chicken's feet? I don't care how badass I am, chicken feet freak me out."

"Dude, you were like 12 when that happened." Mike corrected. "He may have cried a little bit."

"Hey! Don't let the concussion and the medication fool you…I'll still kick your ass." Puck threatened.

"I think what Puck is trying to ask is why you're reading Cosmo." Artie mediated while getting back on topic.

"Man, girls are messed up!" He declared causing Artie and Puck to start laughing. "They have all sorts of tests in this magazine. Do girls really think this way?"

"The magazine has been around for a while. I guess females find it relevant to whatever they're going through." Artie reasoned.

"Give me the magazine." Puck ordered. "Maybe it will help me figure out why Tina is pissed at me."

"Um…you still don't know?" Artie replied while Mike tried not to laugh. It was obvious.

"You don't need a magazine to tell you why your girlfriend breaks up with you when you kiss another girl…and have feelings for your ex." Mike clarified.

"So then why did she come to the hospital to see me? And why did she help out my mom by watching my sister? And then why won't she answer my calls? I don't get it." Puck sighed out of frustration. "The answer could be in the magazine."

"Why do you need to know? It's not going to change anything." Mike shrugged.

"You still like Quinn." Artie reminded him. "Tina won't get back together with you if you don't want to be with her. It doesn't make sense."

Puck took a deep breath before lying back down on his bed. He was clearly frustrated with everything between him and Tina. He just wanted to be friends with her again.

"But Tina won't hold a grudge forever. She'll come around." Artie tried making him feel better. "Tina told Santana that she doesn't hate you."

"Yeah." Mike agreed. "You two will be friends again. Brittany says Tina just needs some space."

Puck let out a little laugh. "Who knew that out of all the girls in school, Brittany and Santana would be the two girls that have stable boyfriends?" The two girls weren't exactly known for their long term relationships. Mike nodded while Artie just shifted uncomfortably.

"Maybe Brittany and Mike are good, but Santana and I have seen better days." He admitted.

"Trouble in paradise?" Puck questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"We got into a huge fight about me being on the football team."

"She was at the game yesterday…" Mike stated, unsure what the problem is. He assumed everything was fine between Artie and Santana. They were never the type to show any kinds of problems.

"But today she came over and so did Miss Pillsbury. They talked about it with my parents."

"Dude, that sucks." Puck let out.

"It does. I think Santana is now mad at me and I really don't know where we are right now in our relationship. I-I think I hurt her." Artie decided not to tell them that she said she loved him and he didn't reply. He _knew_ he hurt her.

"She'll come around. I'm sure Brittany will take care of her tonight."

"Hot!" Puck joked inappropriately, causing Mike to punch him in the arm.

"Dude, they'll do their boring girl talk where they make everything better." Mike concluded.

"Good! Since the girls are going to be together doing the nasty." Puck continued to joke as he managed to block another punch from Mike. "We should go out there and celebrate our win from last night. We have a kid in a wheelchair and we still kicked the other team's ass."

"I'm down." Mike nodded.

"I should talk to San first and make sure that…"

"Hell no!" Puck interrupted. "You didn't do anything wrong by joining the team."

"But she's mad at me." Artie confessed.

"When has Santana not been pissed off? Trust me. She'll come to you after she cools down." Puck added, "I know I probably shouldn't be giving out any relationship advice, but this is Santana. I know exactly what she's like. She gets angry, might push a girl in to a locker, but then she'll come back to you because she'll get over whatever is bothering her. Don't waste your time trying to force Santana to do something she isn't ready to do….it'll just come back and bite you on the ass."

"It kind of makes sense." Mike reasoned. "Some space for the two of you won't hurt."

Artie took a moment to think about what Puck said. Puck and Santana have a history and the way Puck talked about Santana was pretty accurate. It sounded a lot like what Santana would do. "Screw it. I'll talk to her later." He added with a false sense of confidence.

"Hell yeah!" Puck encouraged. "I'm sure there is a party somewhere with a house that needs to get destroyed." He and Artie laughed.

"Not to be a downer, but should you go out and party?" Mike asked. "You did spend last night in the hospital." He added as a reminder.

"I'm fine. Plus, my mom is working the night shift and what she doesn't know can't hurt her." He reasoned with a smirk. "As long as I take it easy and don't drink, then I don't see a problem."

"It sounds like we have a plan, then." Artie nodded along. "What do you guys want to do?"

"I'll make some calls and see what's going down tonight." Puck explained as he reached for his cell phone and sent out a mass text message. It wasn't really clear who Puck's sources were, but he always had a way of getting alcohol and finding about the best parties.

Mike and Artie noticed how quickly Puck was going back to his old ways. This side of him was tamed down while he was with Tina. It's not to say that she changed him completely, but he definitely was more level-headed when he was with her. Right now, it seems like that's all out of the window. Puckzilla is making his return…and taking Artie under his wing.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Sorry for the shorter chapter this time, but more coming soon!**_

_**WOW! 40 chapters and still going. Sorry for sounding cliche but I really couldn't have done it without my readers and the reviews that let me know people actually like this story. With that being said, please feel free to share your thoughts/opinions/reviews. I always love reading them. With that being said, THANK YOU to everyone who reviews and all those who added any alerts. I truly appreciate it.**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	41. Chapter 41

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Santana spent the rest of her day trying to forget about what happened with Artie. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about it. She convinced herself that going out with Brittany to a party would make her feel better. It never failed her in the past. If Artie wanted to talk to her, then it would have to be when Santana feels like it.

Brittany decided to take things into her own hands. She called Rachel, Tina, Mercedes and Kurt over to her house before Santana was scheduled to show up.

"So you want all of us to go with you and Santana to a party on the other side of town with a bunch of Dalton kids?" Mercedes asked while clearly unhappy with why she was at Brittany's house.

"Exactly!" Brittany replied. "I know it's too much to ask from you guys, but Santana is going to ruin things with Artie if she goes there."

"I know from experience that Santana gets what she wants. It won't make a difference if we go or not. If she has her eye set on proving something, then she'll definitely prove it." Mercedes argued.

"I don't want her to ruin things with Artie. They had a fight and I don't have time to get into the details." Brittany added quickly. "She may not feel it right now because she's mad, but I know her. He's been really good for her."

"Brit's right." Rachel nodded. "Have you noticed that she's nicer now? She doesn't make fun of my clothes as much."

"And she stopped the lizard-baby jokes with Quinn." Tina added with a bit of laugh.

"See!" Brittany smiled after having proved her point. "And from what I can tell, she's been good for Artie too. If you don't like Santana, that's fine," she added. "But at least do it for Artie."

"Fine," Mercedes took a deep breath. "But that's only because Artie is my boy."

"Thank you, Mercedes!" Brittany smiled. "Listen, don't make Santana know that I invited you to watch over her. She'll kill me. Make it look like you actually want to go."

"Well, we do actually want to go." Kurt added. "Why would we not want to go to a party with hot, smart, open-minded Dalton guys?"

"Preach!" Mercedes added as she and Kurt burst out into laughter.

* * *

At around 8:45, Santana pulled up to Brittany's house. It didn't make a difference that Santana showed up later than she said she would because Brittany was still not ready. Santana rang the doorbell and was surprised when Kurt answered the door.

"Kurt?" Santana asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, didn't Brit tell you?" He asked and Santana shook her head. "We're coming with you to the Dalton party."

"Good call. The guy ratio totally plays in our favor." She smirked as she headed up the stairs. Kurt followed behind. They went into Brittany's room to find Rachel, Tina and Mercedes there also.

"So it's going to be all of us glee girls…" Santana began. "And honorary girls," she turned to address Kurt.

"We are so over these McKinley football parties." Mercedes shrugged.

"Exactly." Santana agreed. "Berry, I'm surprised you're here. You know Finn isn't going to be there."

"She and Finn had a fight." Brittany interrupted.

"And the more I think about it, the more I don't want to go to this party." Rachel declared quickly. "The only reason Finn and I got into this fight was because I didn't want to go with him to some stupid Cheerios party. I don't know anyone at those parties, but I go just to be supportive and…"

"Ok, Berry. We get it." Santana cut her off. "This is different. You're going to a party with a bunch of friends this time."

"And what do you think Finn and the guys are all doing tonight? They're going to that party and it doesn't matter to him if you got into a fight or not." Tina added. She was still not over her break up with Puck to give impartial advice. Tina was at the point of her break up where she hated all guys.

"We all need to go out and let loose without thinking about anyone else. We're all divas here. We should put ourselves first every once in a while." Mercedes declared with attitude as Tina and Kurt cheered her on.

"So why isn't Quinn coming?" Santana asked as she was a little surprised that she was missing.

"She's going with Sam to that party with the Cheerios and football team." Kurt replied. "Are we ready to go?"

"I guess." Rachel added as she adjusted her hair in the mirror. Kurt and Mercedes convinced Rachel to lose the penny loafers and to dress a bit differently this time. They wanted her to actually feel good this time. The six of them got into two cars. Mercedes and Tina rode with Kurt while Brittany and Rachel were in Santana's car.

Brittany and Santana were joking around, while Rachel was sitting quietly in the backseat and staring out the window.

"What's wrong with you, Berry?" Santana asked. "You're totally ruining my mood."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Rachel replied.

"You're not doing anything wrong by going out with us." Brittany explained.

"Every time Finn goes to some football victory party or whatever, it just reminds me of how different the two of us are."

"Ok, let's get this therapy session over with." Santana said as she turned down the music in the car. "Finn feels like the big-shot quarterback right now because the team is playing really well. He's just enjoying the attention. You, of all people, should understand that."

"You think so?"

"And because he wants you at all those parties and wants to include you in the football part of his world, then he's doing the right thing." Santana added.

"I understand, but he shouldn't be mad when I don't want to go." She argued.

"Doesn't he take you to movies that you choose? Don't you make him watch musicals that no guy can sit through once, let alone 5 times?" Santana defended. "Trust me; he doesn't seem to be asking for much."

"Rachel, wouldn't it be worse if he went out with his football friends and the Cheerios without asking you to go with him?" Brittany asked. It was a simple question, but the answer wasn't so easy.

"Oh my God!" Rachel worried. "I'm a horrible girlfriend." She declared as she started to panic and began to ramble on about how Finn is going to leave her.

"Calm down, Berry!" Santana yelled at her, causing her to stop talking. "Finn is going to understand when you talk to him." She added while feeling jealous of their relationship. "At least you know where your boyfriend is tonight."

"Wha-what do you mean? You don't know where Artie is?" Rachel hesitated to ask.

"I don't know and I really don't care anymore." Santana shot back while putting her guard up.

"That's not true, San. You care." Brittany said softly.

"I assumed he was with the guys, but he never told me. I just found out earlier when Tina said all the guys are going to a party."

"Does he know where you are? Did you tell him?" Brittany argued. This was one of the few times where Rachel saw Brittany and Santana have a real conversation as true best friends.

"No." She admitted. "And it's not like Artie has tried reaching out to me. He didn't call or ask what I was doing. And do you know why? It's because he just doesn't care."

"But that's not fair. You can't expect him to call you when you don't want to call him. One of you has to make the first move."

"Brit, you're being naïve." Santana argued. "Do any of you know how much it hurts putting yourself out there to someone and then having them reject you?" Santana said softly in efforts to calm down.

"Look who you are talking to." Rachel laughed a bit. "That's practically the story of my life last year."

"And it sucks. I don't need that kind of stuff in my life. This is why I'm going to the party and going to have a good time. Like Mercedes said, we need to put ourselves first."

Brittany and Rachel didn't know what else to say. Santana seemed set on doing what she wants. The rest of the car ride was pretty quiet that it became uncomfortable. Santana turned up the music to avoid having anyone talk about Artie. The girls pulled up to a huge house and parked behind Kurt's car. The walk to the house was pretty far since they couldn't find a parking spot any closer. By the looks of it, a lot of people had decided to show up to this party.

"Every time I look at Santana, her dress gets tighter and shorter." Kurt joked. "I have sweaters longer than that dress." He added while they all started to laugh.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Santana Lopez." Some guy smirked as he approached them with his two friends. "And she's at her first Dalton party. This is history in the making." He added sounding borderline arrogant. He turned to the others. "We haven't met. I'm Blake; these are my friends and teammates- Micah and Daniel." He added as he pointed at his friends.

"Blake is the captain of the lacrosse team at Dalton. They are supposed to be good or something." Santana replied with equal arrogance. "These are my friends Brittany, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina and Rachel…" Santana introduced them.

"You bought the whole glee club with you?" Micah replied, knowing exactly who they are.

"Not the whole club, just the ones who matter." Mercedes shot back and Micah let out a little laugh, clearly impressed by her.

"He's one of the Warblers." Blake explained.

"I'm sure the rest of the group would like to meet our competition." Micah said while staring at Mercedes. "We'll see you inside?" He asked.

"Perhaps." Mercedes flirted back as Micah and Daniel headed indoors and left Blake with the others.

"I'm glad you made it, Santana." Blake said. "You made a good choice coming here."

"I know. How often does the host come out and personally introduce himself?"

"Not only am I personally introducing myself, but I'll even escort you in." He smirked.

"After you…" She smiled. He led the way with Santana walking slightly behind him. The others looked at each other not knowing what was going to happen once Santana got inside the party. Santana was a few steps from the door when Blake put his arm around Santana, with his hand on the small of her back. Once she felt his hand there, she instantly stiffened up. This was not what she wanted at all.

"Is everything ok?" He asked.

"This was a mistake." She whispered in his ear. "I'm come some other time…with my boyfriend." She added before turning around and heading back to her friends. As she got closer to them, she saw Brittany smiling.

"It's ok." Brittany said as she gave her a hug. "We can leave."

"No, no…you guys stay here and have fun. I shouldn't be here." Santana asserted. "I can drive back alone."

"I don't want to stay either. I'll go back with you." Rachel joined in.

"Me too." Brittany said.

"Mercedes, Tina and Kurt, you can stay. You'll have fun." Santana said.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

"Come on!" Santana said with a smile. "I'm fine. You three should go have fun. You're all single and there are some fine as hell guys in there."

"Thanks, San!" Mercedes said as she led Kurt and Tina inside. Santana and Rachel decided that they needed to go see their boyfriends.

They wanted to make everything right by tonight.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Another chapter coming up really soon, but I'll still appreciate your reviews for this one so…**_

_**R&R, P&TY**_


	42. Chapter 42

_**A/N:**_

_**Here's the other update! Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own glee.**_

* * *

While the girls were at the Dalton party, the guys and Quinn were at the Cheerios party. The guys were all having a good time, while Quinn was bored out of her mind. She was actually hoping Rachel and Brittany would show up to keep her sane. These parties failed to appeal to Quinn and the only reason she still goes is to maintain her social standing at McKinley.

She was walking around the house, making small talk with other Cheerios and jocks. She showed up with Sam, but she left him on his own soon after she got there. He, Finn and Mike got involved in an intense game of beer pong.

As Quinn walked around the house, she saw Puck making out with some random girl that she hadn't seen before. She could always rely on Puck to be with some random meaningless hook-up. She rolled her eyes before continuing to the kitchen to make another drink. As she turned the corner, she saw Artie surrounded by three Cheerios, one of which was on his lap. Quinn was as surprised as anyone.

"I think we should call you Hot Wheels…" One of the girls said, while the others started giggling.

"You can call me whatever you like." Artie slurred.

"You're so drunk!" Another girl announced while laughing.

"So are you!" He replied with a laugh.

"Oh my God, I am drunk!" She laughed.

"Ahem." Quinn cleared her throat in order to get their attention. She's heard enough of their drunken flirting and was grossed out by it. "Artie, can I have a word with you alone?" Quinn asked while ignoring the Cheerios.

"Sure." Artie nodded. The girls left the two of them alone. "What's up, Quinn?"

"You're drunk?" She was surprised by his behavior.

"I think so." He whispered.

"Listen, Artie." Quinn said as she leaned down to his level and cupped his cheeks to make him focus. "I'm going to make you some coffee and then we're going outside to get some fresh air."

"But the party just started." He tried to argue with her, but had no luck. A few minutes later, Quinn came out of the kitchen with a travel mug filled with black coffee and a bottle of water. It wasn't exactly normal for someone to make coffee at a high school party, but Quinn didn't care.

"Let's go get some fresh air. This party sucks." She ordered and Artie agreed. The two of them made it to Artie's van.

"I'm fine, Quinn." He tried to convince her.

"Please don't tell me you're the one driving." Quinn pleaded as he unlocked the van with the remote control.

"No, I came with Mike and Puck. Puck is the designated driver." He said proudly.

"I'm sure the one with the concussion should be driving. What's wrong with you Artie? You know better." Quinn was concerned with his change in behavior.

"I'm just having fun with the guys." He shrugged. "It's cold out here." He added randomly.

"It is." She said as she crossed her arms to keep warm. "But the fresh air and coffee should help you sober up a little bit."

"Fine, but at least sit inside the van to keep warm. I think my jacket is in there." Artie opened the front door, grabbed his jacket off the front seat, and handed it to Quinn.

"They waste no time giving you a letterman's jackets." She joked as she put it on.

"It looks good on you." Artie said, causing Quinn to turn a bit red.

"So what were you doing with those girls inside?" She asked as Artie adjusted his wheelchair in the back of the van. Quinn took the empty seat next to him. The door was still open so they can get some fresh air.

"I wasn't thinking." Artie shrugged before taking a sip of his coffee. "Santana and I got into a huge fight."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too," he admitted. "I don't know how to make things right with her."

"I'm sure you'll find a way." She smiled.

There was a bit of a silence between the two of them. "So why aren't you inside with Sam?"

"I'm not sure Sam and I are going to work out. He ditched me to play beer pong with Finn and Mike."

"Oh," Artie started to laugh.

"Don't laugh!" Quinn ordered while she started to laugh herself. It wasn't every day that Quinn got stood up.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean to abandon you." Artie added with a chuckle.

"It's for the best, really." Quinn added as she turned more serious. "I went from Finn to Puck to Sam."

"A lot of girls would be jealous of you for that." He suggested.

"You'd think so, but I should know by now that they're not my type at all." She paused. "They're shallow and to be honest, they're not very bright. Is it too much to ask for someone who is a little bit brighter? It would be refreshing to be with someone witty." She shrugged. "I know I sound conceited but…"

"No, you just know what you want." Artie cut her off. "You'll find someone like that."

"That's easy for you to say. You're smart. I should find someone like you, but single." Quinn vented.

"Oh," Artie blushed this time.

"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have said that." Quinn shifted to get out of the van.

"It's ok." Artie reached out and held her hand to stop her from leaving. "I'm flattered, actually."

"I-I think Santana is very lucky to have you. I would have never imagined the two of you together, but she clearly sees the good in you." Quinn didn't know why she was so nervous considering she's had regular conversation with Artie before. He was always easy to talk to.

"I hope she still feels the same way." Artie revealed.

"I'm sure she does." She answered with confidence. Artie still had his hand over hers.

"I doubt it. The two of us didn't talk after our fight and I'm sure she hates me."

"Come on, Artie." She began as she squeezed his hand. "You're a great guy and Santana knows that."

"Do you really believe that?" He asked.

"Absolutely." She whispered.

The two of them looked at each other and smiled. Quinn reached over to move a strand of hair away from his face. As she was about to move to create some distance between her and Artie, he pulled her closer. The two of them were kissing distance apart. Quinn looked down and about to shy away from Artie, but he lifted her chin up and gave her a kiss on the lips.

The kiss wasn't too short or too long and neither one pulled away too quickly. It was warm and soft, yet passionate. It was spontaneous.

The problem is that it was the perfect kiss.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Please don't hate me for this chapter! To be honest, I loved writing this chapter and I hope I created some controversy! I'm such a troublemaker. Please review. I would love to hear your feedback and thoughts on this chapter.**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	43. Chapter 43

_**A/N: Sorry it took a while to update…Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own glee or its characters**_

* * *

In a panic, Quinn pulled away. She wasn't expecting him to kiss her. She wasn't expecting herself to let him kiss her. And most of all, she wasn't expecting to like him kissing her. She turned red, which was weird because Quinn always maintained her composure.

"That shouldn't have happened. It was wrong." Quinn finally said in a barely audible voice.

"I know. I know." He shook his head. "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry for kissing you." He was embarrassed at what happened and began apologizing.

She looked at him and smiled. "I-I'm sorry for not pulling away." Quinn admitted as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. "It's my fault too. I didn't exactly stop you."

The two of them sat their silently for a few seconds. It was so uncomfortable that it felt much longer. "Santana is going to kill me." She revealed while letting out a deep breath and running her hand through her hair.

"It was a mistake, right." Artie said, even though it sounded more like a question than a statement. "I-I will talk to her. It was my fault." He repeated.

"So you are going to tell her?" She tried to register what he said.

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend. I have to tell her." Artie was willing to accept the consequences.

"I'm just surprised since most guys I know tend to keep these things a secret."

"But it's not fair to Santana. She had the same issues with Puck cheating and lying to her. I refuse to do the same thing to her….even if she breaks up with me." He stated, fully standing behind his decision.

Quinn was surprised by Artie being so honest with Santana. She found it quite refreshing. "Santana is a very lucky girl." She forced on a smile, hiding that she was slightly jealous of their relationship. Quinn hasn't been successful finding the right guy.

"Thanks, Quinn." He answered softly. "I'm sorry for getting you into this mess…"

"Don't worry about it." She interrupted. "I'm sorry too."

"There you are!" Santana said as she appeared out of nowhere. "Rachel and I have been looking all over for you."

Quinn and Artie started to worry since they didn't know how much of their conversation Santana heard.

"What are you two doing here?" She followed up with a frown, trying to figure out why Artie is alone with Quinn.

"Um, do you want to tell her?" Quinn nervously turned to Artie.

"I'm a bit embarrassed, San." Artie began. "I had too much to drink. Quinn made me leave the party to get some fresh air."

"And coffee." Quinn added as she grabbed the mug as if it were evidence.

"Oh." Santana let out as she wasn't expecting Artie to get drunk. "Thanks, Quinn." She admitted while swallowing her pride. "What were you doing drinking? It's not like you to get drunk." She turned to Artie.

"Maybe we can talk alone?" Artie asked while turning a bit red.

"Yeah, of course." Rachel nodded. "Quinn, can you help me find Finn?"

"Let's go." Quinn said as she led the way without even looking at Artie. As Rachel and Quinn began to walk back to the house and join the rest of the party, she quickly sent Artie a text message.

"_Why didn't you tell her?"_ She sent to Artie.

"_Not with you around."_ He sent back almost immediately. It would be a lie if Quinn said she wasn't relieved. She was a bit grateful that Artie considered her feelings about this. She spotted Rachel looking at her with a smile.

"What's wrong with you, Berry?" Quinn asked as she stiffened up.

"Who are you messaging?" She questioned.

"It's none of your business." She shot back, defensively.

"I just noticed that smile on your face. Is it Sam? You two are like perfect for each other."

"Yeah…" Quinn drifted off. "What's wrong with you and Finn?" She asked, desperate to change the topic. Quinn didn't actually listen to Rachel when she answered, but she just wanted to get the focus off of her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Artie and Santana were still in the van.

"I know you're upset with me, but I want to talk. Can we go to my place? We can have some privacy there since my mom is at work." She admitted quickly, unable to control her nerves.

Artie let out a little laugh. "Ok, but calm down." He smiled.

"I'm just nervous talking to you." Santana revealed.

"What? Why?" He frowned. "You're never nervous."

"I know, but this is different." She explained softly. "I'll run into the party and give my keys to Mike and then I'll drive us to my place." She ran off and came back rather quickly. She hopped in the driver's seat and quietly drove off with Artie.

Artie seeing her like this made him feel even more uncomfortable. He grew more nervous as he kept thinking about how difficult it's going to be to tell her that he kissed Quinn. When they got into her apartment, she sat down on the couch across of Artie.

"You look beautiful." He let out, not intending to say anything. "I was surprised that you and Rachel came to the party together."

"That's actually what I want to talk to you about." Santana began. "All of us glee girls, and Kurt, went to a Dalton party."

"Oh." Artie frowned. "Why?"

"I was mad at you. I wanted to go out and have fun with just the girls."

"To a party with a bunch of guys from an all-boys school? They're known for random hookups." He questioned while trying not to jump to conclusions.

"There were girls there." She defended before cooling down. "Let me just finish what I have to say."

"Please…" he wanted her to continue. A part of him thought that Santana could've done something that makes him kissing Quinn seem like nothing.

"It was supposed to be a fun night out. We got to the party and it seemed like fun. The guy throwing came out to introduce himself to us. He was with his friends. They were all actually quite nice."

"Of course they were nice. They wanted to hookup." Artie argued, still getting a bit angry.

"Artie, enough." Santana demanded. "I couldn't make it past the door because I didn't want to hurt you. I don't want to ruin what we have." She practically yelled.

"I don't want to ruin it either." He whispered out of embarrassment for assuming the worst.

"It doesn't seem like that to me." She argued. Artie started to worry. He started thinking that maybe she heard about him with the Cheerios or heard him and Quinn talking. Things spread quickly in Lima. "I was the one who came to find you. You were the one who was drunk…and you're still a bit drunk, actually." She reminded.

"I'm fine." He replied. "Quinn gave me a huge cup of coffee and I wasn't _that_ drunk in the first place."

"This is not why I'm upset." She shrugged while trying to get their conversation back on track.

"I know." He admitted sheepishly. "I messed up a lot that I don't know where to start."

"I do." She said as she moved closer towards him. "It all started with this football team. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but at least I told you exactly how I felt. You can stay on the team or not, but as your girlfriend who loves you, I'm still going to be honest with you. I don't expect anything less from you." She sat up straight and spoke with complete confidence.

Artie smiled before feeling slightly guilty. "That's the second time you said you love me."

"This is the first time you actually acknowledge it." She shot back, not willing to let it go. "Do you know how much it hurt when I said _I love you _and then you completely ignored me?" She didn't give him time to answer since she had a lot to get off her chest. "Remember the last time you were here and you spent the night."

"Yeah," Artie began.

"We were in my bed and were about to take things further…" She started.

"Yes and then we decided we should wait." He finished, unsure where Santana was going with this.

"All we did that night was just sleep in the same bed. I thought everything was fine between us that night, even though we didn't have sex." She continued.

"It was fine." Artie was completely confused. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"After I said we should wait to have sex, our relationship completely changed." Santana admitted. "We started to argue more. Things really got tense between us. I thought you were ok with waiting, but I might be wrong."

"I am ok with us not having sex." He stated confidently. "I am so sorry, Santana. I would never pressure you to do something you don't want to do." His heart was beating fast and he felt immensely guilty for making Santana feel that way.

"I told you I loved you and you ignored me." She repeated again, unable to move on from it. "I put myself out there in a way I have never done before. It wasn't easy for me to say it. We were fighting because the football thing, but I put all my doubts aside and…"

"You had doubts." Artie interrupted while dwelling on that one point. When Santana said she had doubts, it occurred to him that she has been keeping all these things bottled in inside. He hated himself for not being there for her when she obviously needed someone.

"Yes, you're the only person I've ever said that to. I was nervous, but I got past it." She declared. "I told myself that you would never hurt me. Stupidly, I thought if I told you how I felt, then it would bring us closer together."

"And I did the complete opposite of that. I just pushed you away." Artie felt his heart in his throat. This is the first time Artie, or anyone for that matter, saw Santana be so fragile and sensitive. He never expected Santana to be so raw. It only made him fall in love with her even more. "I was so stupid and selfish. I'm sorry for ever pressuring you and ever making you doubt us. Whatever you might feel about us, I need you to know that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Santana started to get tear up. This was the first time someone made her actually feel loved.

"I love you, Santana." Artie continued.

"I love you too." She smiled as Artie wrapped his arms around her and she gave him a kiss on the lips. She pulled away and noticed a different expression on Artie's face. "What's wrong? Usually you're more into my sweet, sweet kisses." She joked to alleviate all the tension.

"I need to tell you something about the party tonight." He began as he took a deep breath.

"It sounds serious." She added.

"I…" Artie began as a thousand thoughts raced through his head. Things were finally out and the open with Santana. They are moving on from all these fights and he was hopeful it was all for the better. He started to reconsider telling Santana about that kiss with Quinn. "I'm just…I'm just sorry for going to that party. I should've known better."

"I know you are." She smiled at him. It felt like it was the first time in a while that she actually smiled at him. They have been arguing a lot and she was grateful to be moving on. Artie knew that he can't tell Santana what really happened with Quinn. He didn't want to ruin things as they are starting to get better.

"So…are we good?" He asked.

"We're good." She whispered before going in for a short kiss. "Do you want to spend the night?" She asked a bit nervously.

"I'd love to." He whispered back as he placed his hand over hers.

Santana smiled before she led the way to her bedroom.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**First of all, I need to thank everyone for the reviews and comments for the last chapter. I got such a mixed response from readers about Artie and Quinn kissing. I don't want to give away too much about the next couple of chapters, but at its core, this story will always be an Artie and Santana story...even if at times it doesn't feel like it. I've said too much already!**_

_**On another note, how freakin' awesome is Santana in the last few episodes of glee? I wrote most of this chapter before I saw the "Sexy" episode, and I'm glad that they're showing a different side of her. I've tried doing that with this fanfic and I'm happy they're giving us more **__**real **__**Santana. However, I secretly hope she's still bitchy too. She's the funniest one on the show. I can't be the only one who wants to see more of drunk Artie and drunk Santana?**_

_**Sorry for the long author's note. Please review and let me know what you think!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	44. Chapter 44

_**A/N: Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

It was Monday morning, which meant it was the start of a new week at McKinley. Both Artie and Santana were relieved that they can go to school with their issues all worked out.

"Early morning Cheerios practices are one thing, but having them on Monday mornings is just cruel." Santana panted while trying to catch her breath. Sue always made them run laps at the end of practice in case they were sloppy during practice. According to Sue, they were always sloppy or mediocre.

"These laps are torture." Quinn added.

"She's not even paying attention to us while we run." Brittany added as the three girls decided to slow down to a walking speed. "How was your weekend, San?" Brittany asked.

"Good." Santana smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't get a hold of you yesterday. I was busy with my mom and my dad came into town."

"Ok, but tell me…how are things with you and Artie? Did you two have great make-up sex?" Brittany blurted out.

"Brit!" Santana exclaimed out of embarrassment.

"It's only me and Quinn around. We don't care." Brittany shrugged.

"I know…" Santana began. "We didn't have sex. He wanted to wait."

"Really?" Quinn spoke out, quite surprised that they still haven't slept together.

"That's…different." Brittany didn't understand.

"I know!" Santana added with a laugh. "Trust me, I so wanted to, but he wanted to wait some more. He wanted to make it special."

"I think that's romantic." Quinn added with a smile. "Also, I'm pretty sure he didn't want to be drunk his first time either." She added.

"Artie was drunk? I would pay to see that." Brittany giggled.

"Ladies!" Sue Sylvester bellowed as she approached them. "To add to your unspeakably horrible practice, you still insist to maintain the same level of mediocrity while running laps. I don't understand, ladies. In which part of my instructions did I say you should walk aimlessly around the football field? I put so much effort into transforming you girls into stellar Cheerios only to have it completely undone by one William Schuester." She continued. As she was going on, Santana, without thinking, rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I boring you, Miss Lopez?"

Santana didn't reply.

"See, I asked a question. This is when you come up with an answer. Of course, whatever you say will only prove to be irrelevant, but at least I will be assured that you are somewhat capable of carrying a conversation."

"Yes. You are boring me." Santana shot back. "The only things worse than our practice today are the tired insults you hurl at Mr. Schue at every opportunity you get. Your diatribes have become as predictable as your routines."

At this point, everything became eerily quiet. Quinn, Brittany and the other Cheerios were in complete shock at what happened. No one has ever spoken to Sue like that.

"Principal's office. Immediately." Sue replied quietly and with full authority. Everyone knew that when Sue spoke calmly and in short fragments, then hell was about to break loose.

* * *

"Sue, is this really necessary?" Principal Figgins began.

"This is a perfect example of Santana Lopez disrespecting me. I asked her to show up at your office and she is blatantly going against my orders."

"Here she is." Figgins said as he looked through his glass doors and signaled Santana in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Coach Sylvester and Principal Figgins." She plastered on a smile. "I had to change out of my Cheerios' uniform as I don't feel I should be on the team any longer." She took a seat next to Sue and across of Figgins.

"I completely agree." Sue replied.

"I'm glad we agree." Santana continued.

"It's not that easy. You are expelled from this school." Sue asserted as she paced around the room. "Time and time again you are proving to be a liability to this institution." Clearly, Sue was not one to hold back from the over-the-top dramatics.

"Calm down, Sue." Figgins brushed it off. "You cannot expel students at your own whim."

"I can and I will!" Sue exclaimed. "Her obvious disrespect warrants for an immediate expulsion."

"This is why I left the team, Principal Figgins. I find Coach Sylvester difficult to work with and it has been affecting my grades." Santana began. "When I was injured in your hallways and took some time off the Cheerios, my grades improved. I don't need to be part of anything that's going to harm my academic career." She shrugged. Her father was a lawyer, so Santana learned a thing or two about having a good defense. She also was going to take this opportunity to let Sue know exactly how she felt.

"Are you believing this garbage?" Sue practically exploded.

"I think it's very noble of Santana to put such a focus on her studies." Figgins replied.

"The Cheerios is the best thing to happen to you." Sue shot back.

"I respectfully disagree." Santana maintained her cool, which only made Sue angrier. "I feel that I have outgrown the Cheerios. I feel like I need something more challenging." Santana wasn't completely lying about that part.

"Are you letting her lie to your face like that?" Sue exclaimed.

"I'm not lying. I offered my constructive criticism about our routine and because I did, I was sent to the Principal's office. I don't want to be part of a team that doesn't foster an environment of creativity." Santana was fully aware of how much she sounded like Rachel Berry, but at least it seemed to only rile up Sue Sylvester.

"Well, we can't keep you on the team if you choose to leave." He reasoned.

"The hell we can't! We have our first competition in less than a week, this is unacceptable." Sue shouted. She started to realize that keeping Santana on the team would mean she can punish her as she likes.

"I thought you wanted her off the team!" Figgins shouted back.

"Not at her own will. And you cannot let her just walk away from insulting a faculty member." Sue argued.

"Coach Sylvester," Santana began. "I sincerely apologize for interrupting you and disrespecting you while you were insulting us. I think 3 days after school detention is fair enough punishment." She shrugged.

"Santana, you are proving to be a model student. You are willing to accept the consequences and putting your academic interests first while focusing on challenging yourself." Figgins smiled. "Good for you."

"Thank you!" Santana smiled. "Mr. Schuester taught me that." She added, causing Sue to turn red with rage. Figgins then let Santana leave the office and get to her first class.

She wasn't completely lying about what she said. She was fed up with the Cheerios ever since she was no longer the captain. She had been unfairly punished and wanted to show Sue Sylvester and everyone else that Santana Lopez will not be pushed around.

By the time her first class was over, the whole school practically heard about Santana's showdown with Sue Sylvester. The general consensus was that Santana came out victorious. Going head to head with Sue Sylvester and only coming out with 3 days detention was as good as it gets.

Only Santana was capable of leaving the Cheerios and becoming even more popular. Things are starting to look good for everyone's favorite ex-Cheerio.

Or so it seems.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**Sorry for the delay in updating. This chapter might feel a bit out of place, but I really wanted to show that Santana still has her notorious mean streak and isn't one to be messed around with. It will serve a greater purpose in the next few chapters. Until then, please review! I love reading your comments.**_

_**R&R, P&TY**_


	45. Chapter 45

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

After the first period class, Artie and Puck were by their lockers talking about the weekend. They still haven't heard about Santana leaving the Cheerios.

"Where did you disappear off to Saturday night? You missed a dope party." Puck stated as he rummaged through his locker.

"I spent the night at Santana's." Artie added casually as he flipped through a textbook while waiting for Puck to get his things sorted.

"Dude!" Puck slammed his locker shut. "So let me get this straight. You two were in a fight and she came to you to apologize, then you went to her place to hook up...I'm impressed." He laughed.

"You're way off. It was nothing like that." Artie explained. "We went to her place for some privacy so we can talk. I only slept there. Nothing happened. We are going to wait." Artie was a bit nervous revealing all of this because it wasn't the complete truth. Artie wanted to test Puck to see if he was convincing.

"You're going to wait until when?" Puck blurted.

"I don't know. We'll see." Artie added as the two made it down the hall.

"Whatever floats your boat…" Puck drifted off. Artie looked up at him and saw him practically drooling over Quinn. Artie fidgeted a bit as she approached them. He tried not to make eye contact with her because he owes her an explanation.

"Artie," Quinn began with a warm smile. "I need to talk to you about my English paper. I may need you to review it for me."

"Um…sure." Artie knew she was lying.

"Let's go." She led the way to an empty classroom. Artie felt awkward with Puck standing right there. He knew Puck still has feelings for Quinn and she completely ignored him. Artie followed Quinn into the empty choir room.

"Why didn't you tell Santana? You sent me a text yesterday saying you didn't tell her, but you didn't tell me why?" Quinn asked as she sat on the piano bench, facing him. "I thought you were going to be honest with her?"

"I-I don't think I should tell her." Artie whispered. "Things are good between me and Santana now. I don't want her to know. It will ruin everything."

"You realize that if she finds out later, she'll kill you…then, she'll kill me." Quinn explained.

"I'm sorry I got you into this." Artie replied.

"I still think you should tell her." She stated.

"Why should I tell her? It was a stupid mistake." He reasoned.

Quinn looked at her hands. "Was it?" She added softly.

"What?"

"You and I don't spend a lot of time together, but when we were alone for like 5 minutes, you kissed me."

"I'm with Santana." Artie repeated.

"I know." Quinn turned red. "The reason I want you to tell Santana, aside from the fact that you need to be honest with your girlfriend, is because it will force you to be honest with yourself." She looked him straight in the eye. He was avoiding making eye contact with her until she put her hand over his. "I felt something when we kissed. Can you honestly tell me you didn't feel anything?"

"I love Santana." Artie stated.

"I know you do, but you're avoiding my question." She added. "Artie, you're a good guy. You're like the sweetest guy in this school, so I know that this guilt is tearing you up inside." She paused, trying to read Artie's reaction. He remained silent, so Quinn continued.

"You know how girls tell each other everything, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I know you love Santana and she loves you. I also know that you two are waiting for your first time to be special and I admire that. A part of you knows that it won't be special if it's based on a lie. I know I've crossed thousands of lines by talking to you, but I'd hate to see you turn into every other guy at this school. You need to be honest with Santana…and yourself."

Artie didn't say anything. Quinn struck a nerve with him. She was right; he couldn't be honest with Santana or Quinn without figuring himself out. He loves Santana, but he still didn't know why he kissed Quinn.

Even though she hid it well, Quinn was completely nervous talking to Artie. She had known him for a year, but after they kissed, she sees him in a different light. It was pretty bold of her to put her feelings out there the way she did. She was a bit relieved when Artie didn't reject her completely.

"I-I have to get to class." Artie finally let out as he made his way out of the choir room. Clearly, he had a lot to think about.

* * *

When he made it to his next class, he found Santana waiting for them. She loves her second period classes with Artie. They both had free time to "study" but barely any studying was accomplished.

"Hi," she greeted him with a huge smile and a kiss.

"Hi," he returned a smile before frowning. "Where's your Cheerios uniform?"

"You haven't heard?" Santana asked and he shook his head. "Well, to wear a Cheerios uniform, you have to be a Cheerio." She shrugged.

"You got kicked out?" Artie quickly assumed. "What happened?"

"I quit." She admitted. "I know you're shocked, but I'm just done with cheerleading. I honestly feel that I've outgrown it."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"I wanted to. I really did, but we were going through some things. I've been thinking about it for a long time. I actually feel relieved." Santana smiled. She went on to explain to Artie how she and Sue got into a big argument. They both felt good that they can just sit, talk and be open with each other.

As Santana was telling Artie about her eventful morning, which she infused with sarcastic remarks about Sue and Principal Figgins, he felt the pangs of guilt. His heart felt heavy, but he kept on a fake smile so Santana couldn't tell if something was bothering him. He just knew that he had to tell her everything that happened.

As hard as he tried, Artie was unable to get past all of these mixed emotions he's feeling about Santana and Quinn. He hates knowing that whatever he decides, Santana will get hurt. Artie kissing Quinn, on its own, is capable of starting a war.

Artie knows he has to get ready for battle.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So…what did everyone think? Things are about to get really interesting for the glee club! Reviews would be wonderful!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	46. Chapter 46

_**A/N: Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

After school that day and after glee club practice, Santana went straight home. Her father and stepmother were in town. It was their last night before having to leave. Artie was ok with not spending time with Santana because he had a lot to think about. He was backstage in the auditorium, getting ready to leave, when he spotted Quinn packing up her things.

"Hi," Artie said softly as he made his way beside her.

"Hi," she lit up as she saw him. "I've been meaning to talk to you actually." She took a seat across of him on one of the stools they used for their practice.

"Me too." Artie added.

"Let me go first." She declared. "I just owe you a thousand apologies for everything I said. I don't know why I said those things? It was definitely not my place. I just hope you can forgive me for being a total bitch…" She smiled weakly.

"Don't worry about it. You were right." He admitted.

"I was?" She beamed. "So you felt something between us too?"

"No…" he replied quickly. "I mean it doesn't matter if I did or didn't. I'm love Santana. I only want to be with her."

"Ok." Quinn whispered with a nod, while turning red. While she was pregnant, she was used to rejection, but never by her friends. This hurt a lot more.

"Quinn," he put his hand over hers to comfort her. "I was just as surprised as you when we kissed. I don't know what came over me, but I do know that it was a mistake. I want to be with Santana." He paused. "Assuming that she still wants to be with me after I tell her what happened."

"So you are going to tell her?" She removed her hand from under his.

"Yes, I need to tell her. I won't tell her about our talk earlier."

"That's fair."

"I'm sorry, Quinn." He added quietly.

"Was it all in my head?" She asked randomly.

"What do you mean?"

"I've never actually made the first step to ask someone out. Finn, Puck and Sam all made the first move, and even if that makes me sound arrogant, it also makes me completely clueless. I am not good with putting myself out there…"

"Come on, Quinn. You don't need to put yourself out there. All the guys in this school would love to go out with you…" He reassured.

"Almost all."

"Listen, Quinn." He began while holding her hand again and squeezing it gently. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely confused about our kiss. I've never been so impulsive, but that's why I had to get things sorted out. It doesn't change the fact that it was a mistake. I don't want it to be anything more than just a kiss. I only want us to be friends. I'm sorry if I hurt you…"

"I'm sorry too." She said as she gathered her things. She leaned over and gave Artie a hug. He reluctantly put his arms around her to hug her back.

"We're still friends." He stated, but it came out as a question.

"Of course." She lied. She knew that once Santana found out about what happened, she can't be friends with Artie anymore. They can fool themselves into thinking they are, but there is no way Santana is going to be cool about this. No girl would be cool with this. Quinn took a deep breath before leaving Artie alone in the backstage of the auditorium.

* * *

Later that evening, while Artie was home, Santana called him. She insisted that he joins her and her parents for dinner at her mother's restaurant. She was having a good day so far. She was free from the tyranny of Sue Sylvester, she was doing well in school, she killed it at glee practice, and things were finally going well between her and Artie. She wanted him around when she was having dinner with her family. Not only do both of her parents approve of Artie, but they actually like him. Santana thought it was a great opportunity to have all the important people in her life around her tonight.

Artie tried his best to enjoy his dinner, but he couldn't. The more time he spent with Santana and the happier she was, the harder it was becoming for him to tell her the truth. He was able to convincingly act normal just so he doesn't draw any more attention to himself. After dinner, Santana pulled Artie aside.

"What's wrong?" She was able to see through him. She felt something was off about him.

"Nothing, why?" He shrugged, trying to play it off.

"Are you nervous around my parents or something? You seem distant." Santana couldn't put her finger on it.

"No, not at all." He smiled. "Sorry, but I was busy studying last night for that English test so I didn't get enough sleep."

"Oh," Santana decided not to press it any further. Artie was hoping he could tell Santana about Quinn tonight after their dinner, but he chickened out. He couldn't bring himself to tell her.

"Thanks for inviting me." He smiled.

"Don't thank me. I just wanted the people I love to be with me tonight." She smiled and Artie frowned a bit. "I totally sounded like Berry, didn't I?" She joked.

"A little bit." He replied with a laugh.

"Look what you're turning me into, Abrams!" She laughed before giving him a kiss.

"I love you." His expression changed quickly to a more serious one.

"I love you, too." She replied while maintaining her smile, completely oblivious to what's bothering Artie.

* * *

The next morning at school, Santana was grabbing some things from her locker when Puck came up leaned next to her.

"What are you doing Friday night?" He smirked.

"It's only Tuesday. You know I don't plan ahead." She challenged while rummaging through her locker.

"Your mom will be working late on Friday. I'll bring some wine coolers…"

Santana cut him off. "I have a boyfriend, but I'm glad to see you still got that Puckerman charm and romance." She added sarcastically while closing her locker and headed towards her class.

"So now you're into romance?" He scoffed while following her. "I guess romance makes up for the sex you and Artie aren't having."

Santana turned a bit red and pulled Puck aside. He still knew how to push her buttons. "Not that it's any of your business, but who told you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I know you, Santana. You need sex to think straight. How else would you explain quitting the Cheerios and wanting _romance_? You need some good old Pucking." He added suggestively.

"Clever." She rolled her eyes. "Why the sudden interest in my sex life?"

"You mean the lack of one?" He joked. "I got off-track. I just wanted to know what you're doing Friday night. I wanted to see if you wanted to do something."

"Not with you." She shot back. She didn't know how sincere he was being.

"Let me know if something opens up." He smirked as he looked her up and down. Innuendo implied. Luckily, Artie showed up right after Puck was heading to his class.

"What was that all about?" Artie asked.

"Nothing. Puck was being weird." Santana was confused. "He asked me out on a date."

"What?" Artie grew defensive.

"He was just trying to push my buttons or something." Santana shrugged it off. She knows how Puck is. "But, I do need to ask you something. Did you tell him that we didn't have sex yet?" She whispered while getting straight to the point.

"It kind of came up." Artie became angrier. "What the hell is his problem?"

"I was just surprised you told him, that's all." She explained. "Don't let him get the best of you. I'm used to him being a jerk. It's better if you just let these things slide. He's definitely not worth the time." Santana reassured him before heading her own way to class.

Artie knew Santana was right, but that didn't stop him from confronting Puck. He knew Puck had math class first period, so that meant he went to the nurse to get some sleep. Artie managed to get out of his first class.

"What's up, Artie? How's Santana?" Puck smirked as he was still lying down. He knew Santana told Artie about their talk.

"She was fine until you asked her out. What the hell was that all about?" Artie asked.

"So now you're the big old jock trying to protect your girlfriend." He scoffed as he sat up straight.

"What's your problem?"

"Forget it." Puck genuinely didn't want to continue arguing with Artie.

"Dude, I thought we were friends…"

"We're not." Puck quickly replied. "A friend doesn't hook up with another friend's girl."

"I-I didn't know you still had feelings for Santana."

"I saw you in the auditorium yesterday with Quinn." Puck practically whispered.

"What did you see exactly?" Artie asked. "It's not what it looked like."

"You two were alone in the auditorium. I couldn't hear what you two were talking about, but I'm assuming by the whispering that it wasn't normal friends talking. Normal friends don't hold hands either." There was a brief pause, but Artie didn't know what to say. "Once Santana finds out, she might be free on Friday to go out with me." He added.

"Please don't tell Santana. I need to explain this to her." Artie pleaded.

"Go ahead. Santana would love to hear how another guy is leaving her for Quinn."

"I'm not leaving Santana for Quinn. I was talking to Quinn telling her that I can't be with her. I want to be with Santana." Artie explained.

"Hold up. Things aren't adding him." Puck didn't understand. "Why would Quinn want to be with you? What else are you not telling me?" He asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Puck, we're friends so let me be honest with you." Artie began. "Saturday night at that party, I kissed Quinn. It meant more to her than it did to me. Yesterday at the auditorium, I told her that it wasn't going to work between us because I love Santana."

"Why did you kiss her?"

"I don't know. Things weren't good between me and Santana. It was a mistake." There was brief moment of silence between the two of them. "I know I screwed up, but I don't want to be with Quinn."

"That doesn't change the fact that she wants to be with you." Puck practically whispered. He was hurt that Quinn chose another person over him…again.

"Maybe you should move on too." Artie reasoned.

"I tried to move on with Tina. She was the only one who put up with me, until I hurt her. Now, she won't even talk to me."

"Do you want me to talk to Tina? Maybe I can convince her..." Artie suggested before Puck cut him off.

"No, you need to work on finding a way of not having Santana kill you and Quinn." Puck said. "But don't worry, I won't tell her."

"Thanks," Artie replied while feeling guiltier. It didn't occur to him that Puck would be hurt by all of this. "I'm really sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." Puck shrugged and left. He wasn't cool with Artie kissing Quinn. What hurt him more was Quinn moving on to other guys. For some reason, he thought if she was single and he was single, then it would just work out. It sucked knowing that Quinn doesn't even consider him an option.

* * *

It was the end of the day and it had gone by smoothly for the most part.

"There you are!" Santana leaned on the wall next to Brittany's locker. "I haven't seen you all day. Let's get to glee practice before Berry so we can hide her sheet music." Santana joked as she led the way. She stopped and turned around after realizing that Brittany wasn't walking with her.

Brittany shut her locker door and cut to the chase. "How could you quit the Cheerios like that?"

"What?" Santana frowned.

"The Cheerios are like our thing. It was what we had in common."

"We have a lot of things in common." She reasoned.

"But the Cheerios was just us. No Mike or Artie." Brittany explained. "We would spend practice making fun of the Cheerios who were trying to suck up to Quinn. Or we would try to get other Cheerios in trouble with Sue."

"We can still do that." Santana reassured.

"No, we can't." Brittany let out while feeling a bit frustrated. "You can pretend that things will be normal, but the Cheerios were like a huge part of us. You ruined it by quitting."

"Brit, you're blowing this out of proportion!" Santana laughed. She didn't think it was a big deal.

"It's not funny." Brittany had turned more serious. "To be honest with you, this isn't the first time where you do something so selfish."

"I'm not selfish." She defended. "Being a Cheerio doesn't mean anything to me anymore."

"You quit the Cheerios because of your pride. You couldn't handle Quinn being captain and that those bitchy sophomore girls got the best of you. You couldn't just let it go." Brittany argued.

"Brit, you have no idea what you're talking about." Santana spoke quietly. "You should just stop talking now."

"I'm being honest, San." Brittany defended. "You should appreciate that someone is telling you the truth."

"But that's not the truth, Brit!" Santana shot back a bit louder.

"It is." Brittany insisted. "You just won't admit it. You had to embarrass Sue and quit the Cheerios in such a big way because you knew everyone would be talking about you. You had to let them know that you left the Cheerios and not that you were kicked out. You needed to do this for your pride. There is no way Sue will ever let you back on the team now."

"I don't want to go back to the Cheerios."

"But how could you just quit something you love so quickly without even thinking about it?"

"I have thought about it." Santana shook her head out of frustration. "You made your point. I'll get your approval next time I decide to do anything that only affects me. I get it." Santana scoffed at Brittany.

"You don't get it at all." She replied quietly in order to avoid making more of a scene. Luckily, the halls were pretty empty. "I know you, San. You quit the Cheerios and expect me to quit with you or something."

"I don't want you to quit." Santana stressed. "I couldn't care less if you're on the Cheerios or not."

"Really? So it's not going to bother you that I'll be spending all this time Quinn and the Cheerios that you hate? And you'll be completely fine that I'll be busy during weekends close to tournaments that we won't be able to hang out? I just think that if I were in your place, I wouldn't have handled things better. You did something stupid." Brittany vented in a bit of a louder tone.

"That's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black."

"What?" Brittany didn't understand.

"You, of all people, are calling me stupid?"

"I didn't call you…"

"You don't understand, Brit!" Santana cut her off. "And I don't expect you to understand. You wouldn't have acted the same way as me because you are way too needy. It's exhausting."

"You can be such a bitch some times. I'm tired of it." Brittany stated calmly while staring Santana right in the eyes. Brittany was obviously hurt by Santana, but Santana was still her best friend. Brittany knew how to defend herself. Feeling frustrated and upset, Brittany went off to glee club practice, leaving Santana in the hallway alone. Santana was confused as to how things got so out of control with Brittany.

Santana felt lost and had no idea what just happened. This is a feeling she was going to have to get used to.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Sorry for the delay in updating. I actually had this chapter written for a while but I felt it was missing something. I revised it so many times to get it right. I'm actually happy with this chapter because it gives everyone a bit of everything: Artana, Quartie, Pucktana, Brittana all in one chapter. Of course, it's not all fluff and good stuff, but it explores the different relationships. Hopefully everyone enjoyed this chapter. That last line was a major tease. Let me know what you think! Your reviews/alerts are amazing!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	47. Chapter 47

_**A/N:**_

_**All I can say is that I'm sorry for the delay. Serious writer's block…but I'm back. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Puck and Finn were in the locker room after the football team had a brief meeting with Coach Bieste about someone stealing her lunch. She wasn't fond of anyone getting between her and her roasted whole chicken. Puck and Finn were the last two there.

"How are things with you and Berry?"

"I can't complain." Finn shrugged. "Why are you asking?"

"We have a big game coming up and we can't afford to have you focusing on your fight with Berry. You're easily distracted." Puck explained as he packed his gym bag. "Plus, that Sam kid is waiting for you to screw up to take over as quarterback."

"I'm not worried about that. Rachel and me…we don't fight that much." Finn smiled. "Things have been going well recently. I know she isn't a fan of football or any sports really, but we make it work."

"You sound like a chick." Puck scoffed.

"Dude, it's all about compromise." Finn said a bit proudly. "She's ok with me going to parties with Cheerios and the team..."

"And what do you let her do?" Puck questioned.

"I'm ok with her talking to Jesse again." Finn mumbled uneasily.

"Whoa!" Puck laughed. "Are you serious? You're ok with that punk talking to Berry? That's the dumbest thing I've heard."

"I trust Rachel." Finn declared as he led the way out of the locker room and towards the glee choir room. It was afterschool and the hallways were practically deserted.

Puck smirked as he seemed to piece it all together. "You're not as dumb as you look, Hudson." Finn frowned as Puck continued with a bigger smirk. "It's pretty smart. You're letting Rachel do what she likes so you look like a good boyfriend."

"I am a good boyfriend." Finn asserted.

"Exactly my point! So when she finds out about your little fling with Santana, you can remind her of how good of a boyfriend you've been and she won't bust your balls."

"That's not it." Finn was partly honest. That was a part of it, but he actually believes that he and Rachel need to spend some time apart. He doesn't like being the couple that does everything together. "It's good for us not to do everything together."

"Whatever, man" Puck was skeptical.

"And it's not like I plan on telling Rachel about me and Santana."

"Take it from me, this stuff always comes out." He warned.

"Other than me and Santana, you're the only other person who knows…and that's because I was drunk. Santana swore to me that she didn't tell Brittany. Did you tell anyone?"

"I didn't tell anyone, but doesn't Artie know? Santana could've told him."

"Why would she do that? It'll only screw things up with her and Artie." Finn reasoned. "Santana probably wants to forget what happened between us more than I do."

"Finn…" Rachel startled him as she approached from behind. Finn quickly turned around to face her. "What did happen between you and Santana?"

"Shit, Berry!" Puck cursed. "Someone your size shouldn't sneak up on people."

Rachel ignored Puck and continued to look at Finn for an answer. "What were you two talking about?" She pressed on, while feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Nothing," Finn replied quickly before shifting his gaze from Rachel to Mercedes and Kurt who were standing behind her. "Nothing." He repeated after gathering his composure and trying to sound more convincing.

Rachel turned to look at Mercedes and Kurt as if to study their expression before turning back to look at Finn.

"Rachel," Kurt spoke up. "I know this whole Santana/Finn thing was a problem for you last year, but you were with Jesse. More importantly, it's all in the past now. Everyone has moved on."

"Kurt's right." Mercedes added. "Santana is with Artie and you're with Finn."

"You're right," Rachel let out a deep breath. "It's nothing." She smiled weakly as she headed off to the glee choir room leaving Mercedes and Kurt with Puck and Finn.

"Thanks guys." Finn replied.

"For what?" Kurt was confused.

"For having my back with Rachel." He replied in that awkward way he usually does.

"We weren't having your back." Mercedes frowned.

"Oh," Kurt shook his head. "Finn, you've been telling the truth the whole time, right?"

"Y-yes," He stammered as he spoke. Mercedes and Kurt looked at him with part pity and part disappointment.

"You're a horrible liar." Kurt added while adjusting his bowtie. (Yes, he's wearing a bowtie.)

"And you're some other kind of stupid." Mercedes added. "This isn't just about you and Rachel. Does Artie, your friend, know about you and his girlfriend?"

"Know what?" Quinn startled them as she approached from behind.

"What is it with you girls today?" Puck added frantically. "You need to stop sneaking up on us like this."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing." Finn replied quickly.

"Of course it's nothing, why else would the four of you be whispering?" She replied. "What's going on?"

"Finn slept with Santana." Kurt told Quinn.

"Who hasn't slept with Santana?" Quinn shrugged. "Are we really surprised?"

"Rachel doesn't know…" Mercedes added.

"Oh," Quinn looked at Finn and felt bad for him. "Does Artie know?"

"Why don't you tell him, Quinn?" Puck quickly challenged.

"I-I'm just saying that both Rachel and Artie should know." She casually stated. "I thought they were our friends."

Puck mumbled something incoherently and Finn just shook his head. "No one is going to tell them anything." Finn declared.

"Listen, Finn." Mercedes began. "We won't mention a thing, but you have to tell Rachel. You can't keep lying to her."

"She doesn't need to know." Finn repeated adamantly.

Mercedes turned to Kurt. "I'm going to hurt him." She was partly joking.

Kurt took over the conversation. "What Mercedes is trying to say is that you owe it to Rachel to tell her the truth. Think about what you're doing by lying to her. You've been in her position before." He added as Quinn and Puck tensed up. "You're better than this."

"You guys are late for practice. Let's go!" Mr. Schuester smiled as he eagerly wanted glee club practice to start. Kurt and Mercedes led the way with Finn following behind. Puck was about to follow but Quinn grabbed his hand to hold him back.

"Can I talk to you?" Quinn asked nervously. "Please."

"It should wait until after practice." He looked down at Quinn's small and warm hand holding on to his. He pulled away and went into glee club practice.

Quinn tightened her ponytail and adjusted her Cheerios uniform before following Puck inside. Her uniform was like her armor. She walked into the room as if nothing was bothering her.

* * *

They were half an hour into their glee club practice and it was a mess. They had moved to the auditorium and were rehearsing a number on stage. Brittany and Santana were avoiding each other. Finn couldn't focus and his dancing was worse than usual. Puck was looking at Quinn who would glance over at Artie. Tina hated being reminded of how much Puck wants to be with Quinn. Rachel couldn't shake the feeling that something is wrong with Finn.

"What's wrong with everyone today?" Mike whispered to Mercedes from the back of the stage. "That vein on Mr. Schue's head looks like it's about to explode."

"I have no idea what's going on, but I'm not taking any more of this nonsense." Mercedes whispered. "Does Mr. Schue really expect me to stay here in the background for the rest of practice?" Without waiting for an answer, Mercedes headed to the front of the stage.

"Yes, Mercedes." Mr. Schuester started before Mercedes couldn't say anything.

"At the risk of pulling a Rachel-Berry temper tantrum, I suggest we cancel practice today."

"I resent that accusation, Mercedes. I would never cancel practice." Rachel defended.

"Let's face it. Everyone is just off today." Mercedes faced Rachel.

"I agree with Mercedes," Tina joined. "I think we should postpone until the end of the week."

"Do all of you feel that way?" Mr. Schuster asked. Everyone seemed to agree. "I'm disappointed to hear that, but I'm not going to keep you here against your own freewill."

"It's just once, Mr. Schue." Rachel explained. "We'll be back here Friday after school and ready to go."

"I hope you're right." He replied as he gathered his things. He was clearly disappointed with his team. They are not the type to let things bother them to the point where they had to cancel practice.

After he left the auditorium, Mercedes decided to give everyone some tough love. "Listen up! On Friday, you all better be on-time for practice and you best come prepared." She shook her head. "If we are going to resort to putting Mercedes Jones in the background during a performance, it better be worth it." She said as she stared all of them down.

Everyone nodded and agreed with Mercedes, promising they will be better prepared for next practice. With that, she was the first to leave the stage and the others followed at their own pace.

* * *

After practice, Puck was at his locker outside the glee choir room when Quinn came up to him. He knew what this was about, but he still wanted to avoid talking to her. The school was practically deserted at this point. Or so they thought. It's surprising how people still don't know that Rachel Berry is always the first one at glee practice and the last to leave.

"I thought we were going to talk." Quinn started as he rummaged through his locker to further avoid her.

"Ok, so talk." He replied curtly.

"Earlier in the hallway, when we were talking about Finn and Santana…"

"About that…I know you are such a great friend to both Artie and Santana that you feel that Finn should do the right thing and come clean." Puck was oozing with sarcasm. "You only have their best interests at heart. The fact that you were staring at him during practice has nothing to do with this."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb, Quinn." He argued while turning more serious. "I know about you and Artie. I saw you in the auditorium. Artie told me everything."

"Everything?" She nervously crossed her arms.

"Yes, everything." Puck finally said while looking at her. "I asked him about the two of you in the auditorium. I saw you together."

"Is that why he's telling Santana? Did you threaten him to tell her if he didn't?" Quinn questioned with a frown. He turned back to look into his locker because he thought it would be easier to talk to Quinn without looking at her.

"I don't threaten my friends." Puck defended. "Artie told me the truth, which is more than you can say for yourself."

"Who I kiss or don't kiss is not any of your business. I don't need your approval or permission. There is nothing between us." She paused. "There will never be anything between us."

Puck shut his locker with more force than he intended. "Why him?"

"What?" She didn't understand.

"Why do you want to be with Artie and not with me?" He said in a louder voice. At least it was loud enough to echo in the empty hallway.

"Let's not get into this, Puck." She warned.

"Why not?" He was frustrated at this point.

"Ok, fine." She started. "Here's the truth, Puck. I can't be with you…ever." Quinn lashed out. After a few seconds, her expression softened because she hated talking about this. "I can't be with you because you remind me of everything I'm trying to forget." Puck was speechless at this point. He tried to find the words to say, but he couldn't. Quinn continued. "I will always be thankful for everything you've done for me last year, but we both need to move on. You don't have to accept which guy I date, but you do have to accept that it will never be you."

Puck stood there at a loss for words. He was hurt and embarrassed. He wasn't expecting Quinn to say those things. She just gave him their long, overdue closure. And it hurt. "I-I get it." He mumbled.

"Puck, I don't want to hurt you." She started as she reached out to hold his hand. He quickly pulled away. "I'm sorry but we needed to have this conversation. I thought you already had closure. You were so good with Tina. You were both happy."

"Tina hates me and I don't blame her."

"I don't think Tina is capable of hating anybody. If you talk to her and tell her…"

"Tell her what?" Puck interrupted. "I'll tell her that the girl I left her for wants nothing to do with me…"

"Puck…" Quinn began sympathetically.

"Forget it, Quinn. You've said more than enough." Puck added before walking off. Quinn walked off the in the other direction to her locker before going home.

Once the hallway was cleared, Rachel made it out of the glee choir room. She looked around to see if anyone else overheard Puck and Quinn.

"You heard them too?"

Rachel was startled. "Tina, you scared me. Puck was right. We sneak around a lot." She added as she put her hand over her chest.

"I'm sorry." She smiled softly.

"How are you? Are you ok?" Rachel started with her questions. "I didn't mean to overhear them. I was just trapped in the choir room."

"It's ok. I know I shouldn't have listened to them, but I couldn't turn away." There was a brief pause. "Are you ok, Rachel?"

"I just need to talk to Finn." She resolved while keeping her cool. "I think Puck regrets how he ended things with you." Rachel tried to change the topic so no one would talk to her about Finn.

"I don't want to talk about it." Tina replied sternly. "Just like how you don't want to talk about you and Finn." She smiled. "Do you need a ride home?"

"Sure." Rachel smiled before giving Tina hug. "If you ever want to talk…"

"I know." She interrupted with a weak smile. After everything Tina had gone through with Puck, she knew she could rely on Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt for support. At that very moment, she promised herself that she would be there for both Artie and Puck, but only as a friend.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**As I said in the first author's note, I am sorry for the delay in updating. I've been thinking of how to move the story along and make it worth posting. At first, this chapter was very forced and uninspired. I revised it so get it just right. I'm happy with how it turned out because it sets everything else up nicely for the next few chapters. I hope you're all just as happy with this chapter as I am. Let me know your thoughts. Keep the reviews coming!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	48. Chapter 48

_**A/N: Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters**_

* * *

After Tina dropped Rachel off, she went to Kurt's house so she can talk to him and Mercedes. She went downstairs to his room where they were studying. She wasn't expecting to see Finn studying with them.

"Tina, what's up?" Mercedes began as she noticed Tina make her way down the stairs. "You didn't give me any details over the phone."

"I-I needed to talk to you in private actually…" Tina spoke softly trying to suggest that Finn shouldn't be around.

"Oh, I get it. Girl talk…" He smiled as he took his phone from Kurt. "Whoa, Rachel called me like 10 times."

"Why didn't you answer?" Tina questioned.

"He gets too distracted with Angry Birds when we try to study." Kurt laughed. "I put it on silent mode."

"I should call her." He began to go upstairs when Tina stopped him. "What's wrong?"

"Sit down, Finn." Tina said in an unusually demanding tone. Finn, Mercedes and Kurt were a bit confused.

"Is everything ok?" He asked. "Is this about Rachel?"

"Yes." Tina began. "Listen, I'm going to tell you this because you and Rachel are both my friends."

"Ok…" Finn fidgeted nervously.

"Rachel knows about you and Santana." She said a bit quickly.

"Did you guys tell her I slept with Santana?" Finn quickly assumed while raising his voice.

"Wait, you two knew?" Tina turned to Kurt and Mercedes.

"How did she find out?" Finn turned back to Tina. "How did you find out?"

"After practice, we overheard Quinn and Puck talking. They talked about the two of you."

"I'm going to kick his ass." Finn grew angrier and redder. "What the hell is Puck's problem? He told me he won't tell anyone."

"Puck and Quinn did nothing wrong. They didn't know we could hear them." Tina defended. "You're the one who lied to Rachel."

"She's right, Finn." Mercedes admitted. "You have to come clean now."

"You weren't with Rachel when you slept with Santana. She's mad because you've been lying to her face the whole time. She's going to be mad, but she'll come around." Tina reasoned. "Rachel loves you."

"Do you really think so?" Finn asked and Tina nodded in reply.

"Why were Puck and Quinn talking in the first place?" Mercedes wondered.

"Is he still trying to win her over?" Kurt commented inappropriately, causing Tina to give him a look.

"It doesn't matter. She has her eyes set on someone else…she basically rejected Puck. It was harsh." Tina explained.

"I should go over to Rachel's." Finn declared out of the blue. Within seconds he was out of the door, leaving Tina with Mercedes and Kurt.

"Are you ok, T?" Mercedes asked. "We know it must've been hard to see Puck and Quinn together."

"I'm fine." She lied. They both looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ok, I'm not fine. She told him that she wants nothing to do with him because he reminds her of a time that she'd like to forget."

"Whoa." Mercedes was shocked.

"Quinn does not hold back." Kurt added.

"So Puck realized he made a mistake for ending things with me…"

"We knew that from the beginning." Mercedes stated proudly, trying to make Tina feel better.

"He wants to be with Quinn. Just because she turned him down, does he really expect to get back together with me?" Tina declared. "I will not settle for being second best."

"That's right." Kurt smiled. "We're turning her into a little diva!" He said to Mercedes as the two of them laughed.

"Do you know why she turned him down?" Tina began. "She wants to be with Artie." Tina laughed as the other two stopped.

"What?" Mercedes and Kurt stared at her.

"Yeah, apparently something happened between them."

"Santana is going to kill her." Mercedes stated as a fact.

"Before or after killing Artie?" Kurt wondered. "Tina, are you sure you're ok?" He turned his attention back to Tina.

"I have no interest in Puck or Artie anymore. I'm perfectly fine."

"Maybe you should talk to Puck. You're still his friend." Mercedes suggested.

"No." She declared.

"Come on, Tina." Kurt began. "I know you're upset, but only you and Rachel know about him and Quinn and you're the only one who can talk to him."

"Do you really think he should be alone now?" Mercedes asked rather simply. The three of them knew how Puck handled things when he was pissed or hurt. Tina was the only one who could get through to him the best. It was better for Tina to go and talk to him, than Puck getting drunk and sleeping around some more.

"I have to go home. I don't want to deal with any of this right now." Tina gathered her things before leaving.

Once she pulled up to her driveway and turned off the car, there was a brief moment where she didn't know what to do. She wanted to go home and just crash in her bed, where she can just forget all about this day. She knew that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

Meanwhile, Santana was cleaning up her room. Artie was supposed to come over and they were supposed to study. They all had mid-term exams coming up and needed to focus. Her mother was working late, so she volunteered studying at her house. When she heard a knock on the door, Santana smiled. With everything going on, she was grateful for Artie. She knew she could count on him.

"Hi," Santana said while opening the door. "Oh…Tina, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you…"

"Artie is coming over to study…"

"Good. I'll keep it short because I really don't want to see him now." Tina rushed.

"What's going on? Come inside." Santana moved out of the way to let her in. "Why don't you want to see Artie?"

"Because I don't want to be here when you tell him about you and Finn." In hindsight, Tina should've found a better icebreaker instead of jumping head first.

"How did you know about that?" Santana asked as she turned red. "It was a long time ago."

"I overheard Puck and Quinn talking." Tina explained.

"What the hell is wrong with Quinn?" Santana frowned. "She's such a bitch. She needs to mind her own business."

"Ok, I'm going to tell you what I told Finn. You need to come clean. Artie shouldn't be mad at you for something you did when you weren't even involved with him. He's reasonable…he'll get mad that you lied, but you can't keep lying to him."

"Is it really lying if I just never mentioned my past with Finn to him?"

"Seriously, Santana?" Tina let out a little laugh. "Are you seriously trying to argue your way out of this? Just talk to him and be reasonable."

Santana nodded. "Why did you come here?" She asked quietly.

"I don't believe gossiping would do any good. I could've easily gone to everyone, but that would only end up hurting Rachel and Artie."

"So you didn't go to Mercedes and Kurt?" She argued with a smirk.

"I did and you can trust them." Tina smiled as Santana looked at her puzzled. "They already knew about you and Finn before I told them."

"Oh…" Santana frowned. "Thank you for being honest with me. I'll talk to Artie and clear the air."

As Tina was about to leave, Santana's phone rang. "It's Artie." She said before accepting the call. "Hey…I'm ok...are you sure?... yeah, yeah….Ok, maybe some other time." She hung up before taking a deep breath.

"Is everything ok?"

"Artie isn't coming because he says he's _not feeling too well_ and wasn't in the mood to study." Santana took a deep breath. "He's such a horrible liar."

"Maybe he is telling the truth." Tina suggested.

"Or maybe he heard about me and Finn and won't talk to me about it."

"He's so stubborn some times. He won't open up at all." Tina revealed off the cuff.

Santana just let out a little laugh. "You're telling me?"

"He'll come around." Tina smiled. "I have to go home and study. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Tina."

Tina smiled before saying goodbye and leaving Santana's place.

* * *

Tina lied. She wasn't going home. After Artie cancelled on Tina, she felt that she had to go talk to him. About twenty minutes later, Tina was at Artie's front door. After catching up with his mother, she went to his room. She spent so much time at his house that she knows it like her own.

"Hey…" Artie said from behind his desk. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you." She stated with a little bit of attitude. "Why did you blow off Santana?"

"I'm not feeling well…" he started. "Wait, how did you know that I was going to her place?"

"She told me. I was there when you told her you aren't feeling well."

"But that's the truth. I had a really rough physical therapy session. I don't tell San details about certain things…"

"Clearly, you don't…" Tina mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

"Why do I feel there is something going on?" He added naively. "Since when do you and Santana spend time together outside of glee club?"

"You have no idea what's going on, do you?" She took a seat on his bed. "Did Kurt or Mercedes talk to you?"

"No…" he frowned, realizing he was left out of something.

"I don't know if you know this, but do you know what happened with Finn and Santana?"

"They went on a few dates last year…"

"Ok," Tina drew in a deep breath as she hated being the one to have to do this. "They slept together."

"What?" He mumbled, starting to turn red out of embarrassment. "But…Finn told Rachel they didn't."

"He lied."

"So did she…why didn't she tell me?" His voice turned louder as he started to scroll through his phone.

"Wait, Artie." Tina grabbed the phone from his hand. "You're not going to yell at Santana. We all found out the truth today…Rachel and I heard Puck and Quinn talking."

"This makes no sense." He was confused.

"Ok all you need to know is that I talked to Finn and he admitted it. I told him to tell Rachel the truth, and then I went to Santana so she can tell you the truth. She thinks you blew her off because you're pissed about her and Finn."

"Now I'm pissed." He asserted.

"Get over it, Artie." Tina demanded. "This was in the past. You weren't with her and she wasn't with you. She didn't cheat on you or anything."

"But…" He tried to explain.

"I know it sucks that she lied, but she's the one who should be mad." She defended.

"Why are you so worked up about this?" He laughed a bit, trying to calm her down. He was surprised to see Tina this worked up. It reminded him of the time where she threated to cut him with her righteous blade of equality.

"I know about you and Quinn." She said calmly.

"Oh…" He admitted sheepishly. "It was a mistake."

"You have to talk to Santana before she finds out from someone else."

"Who knows?" Artie panicked.

"Almost all of glee club…Rachel and I overheard Puck and Quinn talking. Mercedes, Kurt and Finn know…"

"We need to tell them not to say anything to Santana."

"I really don't want to be involved in this more than I already am." She shook her head.

"Believe me, I will tell Santana." He pleaded. "I just need some more time."

Tina looked at him with a bit of sympathy. She finally agreed. She told Mercedes and Kurt not to say anything while Artie told Finn and Rachel to keep quiet. They all agreed and Artie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks a lot, Tina." He smiled.

"What's wrong with you? You don't cheat on your girlfriend…you don't even cheat on tests. And you're definitely not a liar." She questioned. He just sank in his seat, feeling ashamed. "What's going on with you?"

"I don't know, Tina. I just need some time to figure everything out before I talk to Santana. I really wanted to come clean." He paused and there was a bit of silence between the two of them. "Do you think she'll break up with me over this?"

"To be completely honest, I think it's very possible that she might end things. But then again, I could be wrong. I don't know how strong your relationship is."

"It's strong." He declared with a false sense of confidence.

"Strong enough that you kissed another girl?" She questioned. "Listen, I hate to leave you like this, but I really have to go home and clear my head. I think we both have a lot to think about."

"Oh, right…I didn't ask about you and Puck." Artie finally remembered.

"I'd like it if we don't talk about him." She stated while getting off his bed and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow." Tina left Artie's house and headed home. She finally pulled up to her house after a long day.

She felt like she did the right thing. She went directly to Finn, then to Santana and then Artie and told them the truth. It wasn't easy, but she was trying to be a good friend.

* * *

Tina was looking forward to a quiet night at home. She had a lot to deal with before tomorrow so she just wanted one night of relative calm. She finally made it into her room and turned on the light.

"Where were you?" A voice startled her as the lights came on.

"Oh my God!" Tina jumped back and dropped her school bag. It took her a second to understand what was going on. "Puck, how the hell did you get in here?" She whispered as she tried to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he rushed to close the door behind her. "You weren't answering my texts."

"Tina, is everything ok?" Her dad said from the other side of the door.

She took a second to answer so she can sound convincing. "Um yeah…" she lied. "I thought I saw a rat in my room. It turned out to be nothing…Have a good night."

"You too." Her dad said before going back to his room.

After making sure her dad was far away, Puck started. "You're a horrible liar." He tried to ease the tension.

"I wasn't lying. Recently, I easily mistake you for a rat." Tina regretted being this harsh, but in fairness, he did break into her room and she was still hurt. "What are you doing here?" She whispered, trying to get to the bottom of this.

"I need to talk to you."

"This can wait until another time." She said as put her books on her desk. "I have a lot to study for and I'm behind on my homework."

"Stop making excuses." He ordered.

"I won't have to make excuses if you would just take a hint and leave." She shot back.

"Where were you tonight? You didn't answer my texts or my calls."

"I went to Kurt's, then to Santana's, and I just got back from Artie's."

"Is everything ok?" He still didn't know that Tina overheard him with Quinn.

"I think so." She began as she took a seat on her bed and ran her hand through her hair. "What are you doing here?"

He took a seat next to her and she instinctively tensed up. "I want to talk about us."

"There isn't an 'us' anymore." She got off her bed and she leaned on her desk to face Puck.

"I made a mistake with us. I'm really sorry for how things ended and I want to make things right between us…"

"That's enough, Puck." She interrupted. "Do you know why I went to Kurt's, Santana's and Artie's today?" She asked and he shook his head. "I told Finn and Santana that I knew about their…fling." She shrugged. "Then I went to Artie to tell him that he should tell Santana about him and Quinn."

"How did…" He began.

"I overheard you and Quinn talking after glee club practice." She answered right away. It seemed like she was always a step ahead.

"Oh…"

"I love how you break into my house and say you made a mistake without even mentioning how you want to settle with me." She scoffed.

"I'm not settling."

"Stop lying to me. Things didn't work out with Quinn, so you came to me…your second choice. Honestly, I'm insulted, but not very surprised." She avoided making eye contact with him. "Please leave."

"Tina, please hear me out…"

"I've heard way too much today. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I don't want to deal with _you_ anymore." She emphasized.

Puck wanted to say something, but couldn't. He could see how serious she was. Her eyes were pleading with him to stop all of this. He owed her that much.

"My parents are asleep by now. I'll help you sneak out." She offered. He let out a little smile. This wasn't the first time she helped him sneak out of her room, but they both knew that this was their last.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**First, I want to say thank you for all the reviews and alerts! I love hearing your feedback. **_

_**I know this chapter focuses a lot on Tina, but that was done intentionally. She's starting to grow on me and I refuse to start any new fics. I am committed to doing one at a time, so this was kind of my release. I wanted to work her into the story and show her growing presence within the glee club. **_

_**I know this chapter doesn't have a lot of Artana, but please be patient. We will have a little Artana in the next chapter with huge developments for them. I'm almost done with the next chapter. I am just reviewing it and I will post it once I'm fully happy with it. I'll update soon. Also your reviews and comments really motivate me to write. Just sayin'**_

_**R&R, P&TY**_


	49. Chapter 49

_**A/N: **_

_**I don't like to brag, but this is one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you all feel the same way. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

The next morning at school, Santana walked in as if nothing had fazed her with people finding about her and Finn. On the inside, she was a nervous mess. She hasn't spoken to Artie since last night. She would usually go to Brittany during these types of things, but that wasn't an option considering their ongoing fight. She knew she had to apologize to Brittany, but that can wait until she talks to Artie.

"Rumor has it that you also broke up Finn and Rachel." Some Cheerio said to Santana as she approached her locker.

Santana stared the three Cheerios up and down as if to size them up before turning her attention back to the far more interesting contents of her locker.

"First, it was Puck and Tina…now Rachel and Finn." Another Cheerio added. "I'm impressed."

Santana held her expression as if she didn't care, even though she didn't know that Rachel and Finn ended things. "Who gave you permission to talk to me? I'm no longer a Cheerio, which means I'm even more unapproachable than I was when we were on the same team." The girls just stood there staring at her, completely surprised by her reaction, or lack of one. "This is when you walk, or in your case wobble, away from here." She slammed her locker shut and stared the group of Cheerios down. "With the size of your thighs, it seems like they're letting anyone on the team now." She mocked.

"I'm glad to see that you're still a bitch, Santana." One girl commented.

"And don't you forget it." She stepped closer to the Cheerio. Santana was about to remind her that she was from Lima Heights adjacent, but Mercedes intervened.

"Let me talk to you." Mercedes pulled Santana away before things got too heated.

"What's wrong with you?" Santana pulled out of Mercedes' grip after they made it far enough away from those Cheerios.

"Don't pretend you're some badass. Just because you can see Lima Heights from your penthouse in a downtown high-rise, you are not actually from Lima Heights." Mercedes laughed.

Santana rolled her eyes. "That's why I said Lima Heights adjacent." She smirked. "But you might be right. I really shouldn't have more violence on my school record."

"How are things with you and Artie?" Mercedes cut to the chase. "You know everyone knows by now."

"I haven't actually talked to him yet" Santana revealed. "I have to figure it out."

"Well, you better figure it out soon because he's coming this way." Mercedes looked past Santana. "Good luck." She added before walking to her class.

"Hi." He said softly.

"Hi." She wasn't comfortable having a conversation in the middle of the hallways. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

The bell rang before Artie could answer. "We'll have to wait, but I need to talk to you today." He asserted.

"Me too." Santana would usually cut class, but they had exams today. She bit at her bottom lip nervously before heading towards her math class.

"Hey…" Artie reached out to hold her hand. "Good luck." He added before giving her a cute kiss on her hand. She bent down and gave him a kiss on the lips, which he more than gladly returned.

"Thanks." She smiled. She couldn't help but think that things might not be as bad as she had imagined. She walked down the hall to her class and ignored all the looks she was getting from Quinn, Rachel, and Puck. She thought nothing of it. A few seconds with Artie was all it took to make her feel better.

* * *

After her exam, Santana felt good and not because she just killed her test, but she also felt good about her and Artie. All that worrying she did last night was in her head. She should've known that he was the understanding type.

She went to the girl's washroom between classes. When she walked in, she saw the three Cheerios from earlier with Quinn and Brittany. Santana stared them down again and caused them to leave the washroom. Santana smiled as they exited. She still had her bitchiness intact.

"Hi," Santana said softly before turning to face the mirror. "Brit, I want to talk…"

"Me too." Brittany replied.

Before Santana could reply, Tina, Rachel and Mercedes walked into the washroom.

"I'll come back later," Rachel said after spotting Santana.

"Come on, Berry." Santana called out. "Don't leave."

"I really don't want to be around _you_ right now." Rachel shot back.

"I'm making an effort, Rachel." Santana said. "How often do I ask you to stay in the same room as me?"

"Really, Santana?" Mercedes rolled her eyes. "You're going to joke about this?"

"Don't waste your time on her, Mercedes." Rachel stated. "All of the guys in this school already have."

"Watch it, Berry." Santana defended. "I'm sorry that Finn lied to you, but do you really think it's my fault? I get that he's like the best thing to happen to someone like you, but it's such a cop out to blame me."

"I don't have time for this." Rachel turned around and was about to exit.

"Just deal with it, Berry." Santana couldn't hold back. "You're upset because you have to accept that you and Finn aren't perfect."

"I'll deal with it the same way you do. I'll hook up with some football player or something…" Rachel challenged.

"Like any football player would hook up with you."

"I'm so sick of your insults. There is no way I can be civil with you." Rachel claimed as she turned to leave.

"Santana, you say some really nasty things some times. It's hard to defend you." Brittany stormed off, following Rachel.

"You couldn't have stayed quiet? It's one thing to defend yourself, but another thing to attack her." Mercedes added as she made her way out of the girl's room with Tina.

Brittany, Tina, Mercedes and Kurt were comforting Rachel by her locker.

"Listen, Berry." Santana said as she approached them. "I realize that I shouldn't have said anything. I should have known that you are still sensitive about this whole thing." Santana tried to apologize, but couldn't, especially in front of Cheerios and football players. She now had to work harder to uphold her reputation now that she's not a Cheerio.

"That's a sorry excuse for an apology." Rachel stated while slamming her locker shut. "But then again, why would you apologize? You're incapable of any kind of sympathy or human decency. I'm stupid to think that we were friends." Rachel turned to face Santana.

Everyone in the hallways stopped and was fixated on Rachel and Santana. Feeling the pressure of everyone watching, Santana couldn't hold back. "Friends? Who gave you that idea? You have no friends."

"Like you do?" Rachel yelled back. "Who are your friends, Santana? The guys you sleep with who don't call you back are not your friends. Well, unless it's a booty call!"

Santana tensed up, feeling a bit embarrassed. To be realistic, Rachel never stood up to her before. Santana wasn't expecting things to get so ugly.

"Calm down, Rachel." Finn said as he approached them and put a hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"Don't touch me, Finn." Rachel demanded, while flicking his hand away. "The one person I want to see less than her is you. I feel sorry for the both of you."

"You feel sorry for us?" Santana scoffed. "The only reason Finn was with you was because he felt sorry for you." She lied, but she didn't care.

Before Finn could defend Rachel, she spoke up. "And the only reason Artie is with you is because he feels sorry for you. Like all guys that you drive away, your _boyfriend_ prefers Quinn over you. Out of pity, he doesn't want to be another guy who leaves you for Quinn."

"Rachel, please stop." Kurt pleaded.

"What?" Santana was confused and caught off-guard. She had no idea what that meant. "What does Artie have to do with Quinn?" She didn't have to wait for an answer. Santana spotted Artie and Quinn next to each other in the crowd of students. They were trying to make their way closer to Santana. The guilt on his face and the redness of hers said more than enough.

A million thoughts raced through her head. She didn't know what exactly happened between the two of them, but she knew _something_ happened. That was all the proof she needed.

Naturally, people started sneering and speculating about what they think happened between Quinn and Artie. Most of them took joy in seeing Santana being knocked down a few pegs. She turned a light shade of red before quickly gathering her composure and putting her guard back up. She was not going to be embarrassed publicly without putting up a fight.

She pushed past Rachel and headed towards Artie and Quinn who were standing behind Rachel a few lockers down. She sensed Puck tense up as Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes looked on nervously. Their reactions only validated Santana's concerns. Something definitely happened between Quinn and Artie, and everyone knew about it. Without hesitation, and before Artie and Quinn could say anything, she pushed Quinn into a locker and slapped Artie with such force that his glasses to flew off his head.

Santana effectively silenced everyone in the building without uttering a single word.

With that, Santana exited the school. McKinley wasn't a very big school, but walking to the nearest exit seemed like an eternity, especially with the prying eyes of the whole student body on her. She finally made it outside and once she was out of everyone's sight, she stood up straight and took several deep breathes of the cold air. She needed to breathe.

Santana wasn't going back to school today. She was so humiliated. She refused to go back to her classes. She didn't want to deal with teachers, exams, glee club, and she especially didn't want to deal with Artie. She was going home.

She rushed to her car, but only when she was a few steps away from her car, she realized that her keys, bag and jacket were still inside her locker.

"Forgetting something?" She heard from behind her. "I might have broken your locker trying to get your things."

Santana recognized that voice without turning around. _He_ was the last person she was expecting to come after her. Santana thought _he_ knew better than to follow her after everything that just happened.

Today was a day filled with surprises for Santana. And _he_ was no exception.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I hope you guys love cliffhangers! This chapter was mostly Santana with a bit of Artie. I hope everyone noticed how quickly their relationship changed from the beginning of the chapter and how it ended up. They didn't have a lot of talking in this chapter, but their actions are much louder than their words. **__**To be honest, I haven't started writing the next chapter, but I have a person in mind to follow Santana. I'm still working on the details. I hope to update soon. Comments/suggestions/predictions are always welcome! Until next time…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	50. Chapter 50

_**A/N: **_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Santana turned around to face him. He wasn't expecting to see her so hurt. He was taken aback by seeing her like this. Aside from Artie, no one had seen Santana be so emotional.

"What are you doing here, Finn?" Santana snapped, which caused him to focus again.

"I just came to see if you're ok. Rachel didn't mean those things…" He began while handing Santana her jacket.

"Yeah, she did." Santana interrupted. "You don't need to defend your girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend." Finn clarified sheepishly. "She shouldn't have said those things about Artie and Quinn. He was going to tell you."

"So how many of you knew about them?" She decided to get straight to the point.

"We all found out last night. Artie was going to tell you today."

"So all of you knew but none of you told me." Santana began. "Rachel was right. I have very questionable friends."

"I've never seen you so down on yourself." Finn blurted. "You should go back in there and not give a damn what others think."

"Get off your high horse, Finn." she shot back. "That's so much easier said than done. You should know that."

"I'm going to go back to class." Finn declared proudly.

"It's different for a guy. People finding out about me and you sleeping together is only going to do wonders for your reputation. And since you and Berry are officially over, you really have nothing else to lose." Santana shrugged. "The quarterback doesn't stay single for long."

"You're right." He admitted with a frown.

"Most guys would be happy. You can practically pick any girl in there."

"But that's only going to hurt Rachel more." Finn reasoned. "I can't go back there today. Things should cool down first."

"Exactly." Santana said as she got into her car. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"Yeah," Finn said as he raced around the other side and got in.

"Where do you want to go?" Santana began. "My mom leaves for work in an hour, so I have time to kill before going home. She will flip out if she knows I cut class again."

"My mom is working the night shift, so I have to wait until school is out before going home."

The two of them decided on getting some breakfast. Afterwards, they went to Santana's place since no one would be there. Santana went to her room while Finn flipped through the TV. They were both kind of in their own world, trying to avoid thinking about school.

"Who are you texting?" She asked as she made her way back into the living room.

"N-no one." Finn lied.

"It's ok. I know you're texting Rachel." She smirked. "It's cute."

"She doesn't want anything to do with me." He shook his head as he put his phone down next to him.

"Everyone knows Rachel will come around. She just has to make things more dramatic."

"I guess. How about you?" Finn paused. "What's going on with you and Artie?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, mostly because I don't know what's going to happen…"

"I think being with Artie is good for you. You both seem happy." Finn continued.

"Until he cheated on me," She added with a bit of an attitude. "You've been there, Finn."

"I know…"

"So you know how much it hurts." She revealed, uncharacteristically. She wasn't the type to talk about her emotions, especially to Finn. "I should go back to senseless relationships with Puck and Brittany. No strings are always better." She boasted.

"You don't mean that. Me and you had a no strings thing and look at us now…we're cutting class because we don't want to deal with anyone."

"That's pretty sad, actually." She let out a little laugh before taking a deep breath. "I love Artie and even if I sound like Berry right now, I have never felt this way about anyone. I let my guard down and look how everything turned out."

"It's probably not my place to say this, but it's nice seeing you less…"

"Bitchy?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" He agreed a little too quickly. "You're way more laid back now that you're with Artie."

"It got me nowhere. I tried to do the right thing with everyone. I tried to make things right with Brittany, and I should get some credit for not punching Berry's face in…"

"Thank you about that, by the way." He interrupted to lighten the mood.

"I don't think anyone knows how to deal with me when I'm not a total bitch."

"That's not true." Finn shook his head. "I like this side of you."

"Thanks, Finn." Santana smiled before a little uncomfortable silence. "If it means anything, I think Rachel is a fool for breaking up with you."

"You think so?"

"Come on, Finn." Santana stated. "You're one of the nicest guys in this school and aside from lying to Rachel about a stupid mistake between us, you're a great boyfriend. You put up with Quinn and Rachel…that deserves some sort of medal."

"Do you really think hooking up was a mistake?" Finn asked and she looked at him confused. "It was my first time and…"

"I know." Santana interrupted while nodding along. "For me, it was a mistake." She admitted while turning a bit red. "Nothing should've happened between us. You were trying to move on from Quinn. When you asked Rachel out, she turned you down for Jesse. You were vulnerable and I knew that."

"I'm sorry for how things turned out." Finn whispered.

"Don't be sorry, Finnocence." She joked to ease the tension. Things were getting too uncomfortable for her and Finn. "I wouldn't want Quinn and Berry's leftovers anyway." She smirked.

"Why do you do that?" Finn raised his voice out of frustration. "You say something nice and real, and then you pull back and say something bitchy. Isn't it exhausting keeping your guard up? You need to chill out."

"What do you want me to say Finn?" Santana shot back as she sat up straight. "You think we're that close that I'm going to share everything with you."

"I'd like to think that we can be honest with each other."

"You want honesty? Fine!" She declared. "I just loved that you used me for sex."

"I used you? You used me for your reputation." Finn stood up at this point. "Your exact words were that this would be a 'win-win' for you."

"You're the only winner out of this whole thing." She replied in a bit of a low voice.

"Look at how it turned out." Finn argued, not enjoying these insults.

"Yes, look at how it turned out." She repeated. "You can walk into that school tomorrow and no one is going to care that you've been lying to your girlfriend."

"People are going to believe what they want. I can't change that." He defended loudly. He didn't want to be blamed that people don't care about the truth.

"Exactly! It doesn't matter what the truth is because everyone is going to believe that I got between Puck and Tina, and now, I got between you and Rachel." She let out angrily. Finn didn't know what to say. "Everyone is going to think that I used you for my reputation, but the truth is I didn't tell anyone that we slept together."

"If you care so much what people think, then why didn't you tell anyone about us?" He shot back. "It would have only made you more popular."

"I was hurt, Finn!" She practically yelled before calming down. "I was hurt. In that motel room, you wasted no time telling me that you made a mistake by being there with me. You can believe what you want about me, but no girl likes being told that she is a mistake. It wasn't something I wanted to brag about." She calmed down while turning red.

"Santana…"

"You should leave." She made her way to the door. "I shouldn't be talking to you. I've moved passed this."

"I'm not going anywhere." Finn stood up and stared at her. "I don't want to fight with you."

"Fine, just forget it…"

"Santana, I'm sorry." He declared as she looked up at him. "I didn't think I hurt you."

"Don't apologize. I don't want any pity. We messed up. It's in the past. Let's move on." She demanded. "What are you even doing here? Why did you follow me to my car? You never answered." Santana had a very quick way of putting her guard back up.

"I wanted to see if you're ok. We have glee practice and…"

"Bullshit." Santana called his bluff. "This thing with Rachel should have taught you to stop lying. Tell me the truth." She demanded. "I know you didn't come after me to talk about glee club…or our one-night stand."

"Fine." Finn started. "After you slapped Artie and left, he wanted someone to see how you were doing. Obviously, Rachel and Quinn were out of the question. He didn't ask Puck and he knew you were still in a fight with Brittany. Mercedes and Kurt had an exam and Tina didn't want to be more involved."

"So you were the last resort?" She scoffed. "Artie has some nerve to send anyone after me."

"He's worried about you." Finn explained. "He wants to make things right."

"Is he not mad about me and you?"

"I think he's mad that you lied, but he feels much worse for what he did. He knows it was a mistake between us…"

"Yeah." She exhaled while running her hand through her hair. "I don't want to talk to you or to him."

"I'm just trying to help out." Finn explained.

"I don't want your help." She opened the front door for him to leave.

"I'm not leaving." Finn took a seat on the couch. "The fact is that you need someone here. You might hate me right now, but it's not like there are a bunch of people lined up to be there for you." Finn was trying to help Santana and Artie, even if he had to be a bit harsh.

"You're such an ass." She mumbled.

"I know what you're going through, Santana." He reassured. "Are you wondering why he kissed Quinn? Like what is it about her?" Santana looked at him like he was taking the words right out of her mouth. "I've been there. I still don't understand why Quinn cheated on me with Puck."

Santana closed the door. "That's part of it." She made her way to the seat across of Finn. "But Artie was the sweetest guy and I pushed him away."

"He kissed Quinn when he was drunk." Finn explained. "You had nothing to do with it."

"I don't believe that. I always thought Artie and I had something special, but he threw it away like it was nothing. I can't help but feel that I did something wrong. You don't do that to someone you love, right?"

"No, you don't." Finn agreed quietly.

"So now you understand why I don't want to talk to anyone."

"I understand," he nodded. "But I still think you should talk to Artie."

"I will." Santana agreed. "I need to figure out where we go from here."

"Sounds good." Finn let out a smile before getting off the couch. "I should head home." He looked at his watch as he made his way to the door. Santana followed.

"Thank you, Finn."

"For what?"

"Thank you for being here. I actually needed someone to talk to."

"Thanks for not kicking me out." He joked. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." She opened the door for him to leave. There was an awkward moment where Finn decided to give Santana a friendly hug. She laughed at how uncomfortable Finn acted. As she slowly pulled away from the hug, Finn gave her a kiss on the lips. Santana instantly pushed him away.

"I-I'm sorry." He stammered as he quickly picked up his school bag that he left by the door and rushed out. "I shouldn't have done that."

Just like that, Finn practically ran out of her apartment and towards the elevator. Santana was in complete shock. She placed her finger over her lips. She quickly shook off whatever she was feeling and closed her apartment door.

She didn't think any more about that kiss, but she knew she wanted to talk to Artie. He had a lot of things he had to set straight.

And now, she too had a lot of things she needed to get off her chest.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So first, let me say I'm truly sorry for the delay in updating this story. To be completely honest, I was just unmotivated to write. I think it has to do with the fact that I was so disappointed with the last few episodes of season 2 of glee. It's still a great show and everything, but I really didn't like the season finale. I've read fanfics on here that are written so much better.**_

_**Ok, enough with my rant! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I've always wanted to explore the Finn-Santana relationship. I hope it didn't feel too out of place, but I always felt they had some unresolved issues.**_

_**I have the next chapter written, but I just need to edit it. I will post it soon. And don't worry- the next chapter is all Artana! On another good note, this is the 50th chapter! Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/alerted this story. You guys are amazing!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	51. Chapter 51

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: By now, you should all know that I don't own glee.**_

* * *

When Artie read Santana's text message telling him to come over so they can talk, he felt a mix of emotions. At first, he was a bit happy she was giving him a chance to talk. He believed he could convince Santana that what happened with Quinn was a mistake and that everything would go back to normal. He knew this wasn't going to be easy and that Santana might unleash her notorious temper on him. He convinced himself that he would be able to make things right once he started to talk to her.

But then again, he has been waiting in the lobby of her building for the past 15 minutes, trying to get the courage to go up to Santana's apartment. As optimistic as he was that he can make things right with Santana, he wasn't dumb. He knew that his talk with Santana would turn into a full-blown fight. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and made his way up to her apartment. He hesitated, but finally knocked on the door. He could hear Santana's footsteps from the other side. As her steps became louder, he grew more and more nervous.

"Hi," she spoke softly after opening the door.

"Hi." He looked up at her and although she looked beautiful, he could see that she was hurt.

"Come in, Artie." She moved out of the way and Artie followed. The weather outside had turned colder and the sun was about to set. Santana hadn't turned on all the lights, making her apartment quite dim. All of this made Artie more uncomfortable.

"Thanks for doing this." Artie began. "I really need to talk to you." He took his place next to the couch. Santana sat down across of him.

"I just want to know why?" Santana asked directly. She didn't raise her voice, but Artie hoped she would have. She was calm, but extremely hurt. "Why did you kiss _her_ and why did you keep it from me?"

"I don't know," he began. "It was a mistake. We were in a middle of a really long fight and..."

"And you thought it was ok to hook up with someone?" She interrupted.

"It was a kiss, Santana." Artie defended, before drawing back. He was trying to keep calm. "I was stupid. You have to know that it meant nothing."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Santana argued. "I mean, I would have still been pissed, but at least you owed it to me to be honest."

"You're right." He looked down at his hands, feeling ashamed. "Things got complicated after I kissed Quinn."

"Do you have feelings for her?" She asked even though she dreaded hearing the answer. "I have a habit of being with guys who are in love with Quinn." She rolled her eyes.

"No, but she thought it meant more than it did. That's why it was complicated." Artie explained. "I don't want to be with Quinn, but I didn't want to embarrass her either so I was trying to find a way of telling you without everyone else knowing."

"I can understand that." Santana ran her hand through her hair.

"Y-you do?" he questioned.

"Yeah, Finn kissed me today, but I pushed him away. He practically ran out of here."

"What?" Artie frowned. "I told him to talk to you to make sure you're ok, not to kiss you."

"I'm glad he came here. We both talked and he's the reason that you're here right now." Santana explained.

"Do you want to be with Finn?" Artie turned a deep shade of red.

"I'm not the one who kissed him, but you are the one who kissed Quinn. Don't you dare throw this in my face, Artie." Still, Santana wasn't yelling. She was very commanding in her voice, but it wasn't loud. It only made Artie more uncomfortable.

"I'm not throwing it in your face. I kissed Quinn once. You and Finn have a history so I'm sorry if I'm a bit concerned that another guy has a thing for my girlfriend." He had a point. Even though Santana and Finn slept together when Artie wasn't in the picture, he knew that Santana doesn't just hook up. Even if she claims that she prefers no strings attached. He now knows her better than that.

"Any feelings I had for Finn are in the past and they have nothing to do with why you're here."

"You're right." Artie agreed. "I'm here to make things right between us. This has nothing to do with your past with Finn. I trust you."

"That's more than I can say about you."

It stung when she said that, but Artie knew that he hasn't given her a reason to trust him again. "I know you're hurt…"

"Hurt? That doesn't even begin to explain what I feel. What I felt." Santana corrected. "I was humiliated. Do you know what it felt like having Rachel embarrass me in front of the whole school?"

"She shouldn't have said anything…"

"And you shouldn't kiss Quinn in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Santana." Artie pleaded. "It was a mistake. We can get through this."

"I'm already through with this." Santana said calmly.

"Santana…"

"Come on, Artie." Santana shook her head. "You and I know that I can't be with you now. I can't be with anyone who cheats on me."

"It was a mistake."

"I know," she nodded. "I can't guarantee that we won't fight again and when we do, it doesn't mean that you can go and be with Quinn…"

"I messed up, Santana." Artie implored. "I'm not going to cheat on you. I love you."

"Artie, what did you really think was going to happen here tonight?" She asked. "Did you really think that I'm going to be ok with what you did? Did you think you can just apologize and this would all go away?"

"I thought I would come over and show you how sorry I am, and because we love each other that we can work through this." His voice was quiet, as if he wasn't fully convinced with what he was saying.

"This isn't something we can work through."

"So you're giving up, just like that?" Artie spoke without thinking. He instantly regretted saying that.

"I'm tired, Artie." Santana added softly, even though he was expecting her to lash out. "We had so much going against us once we started dating. If it wasn't something with Puck, then it was Tina. If it wasn't the two of them, then there was something with the Cheerios or the football team. We tried to make things work, but it just didn't. Maybe it's a sign that me and you are just not meant to be." Santana stated while gathering her hair to one side in efforts to distract herself so she can avoid making eye contact with Artie.

"Do you really feel that way?" He looked her straight in the eye.

"I do." Santana whispered. She felt tears forming and her hands shaking. She was able to control herself because the last thing she wanted Artie to see was her crying.

"I guess that's it then." He sighed as he made his way to the door and Santana followed. "I think this is the part where we say we can still be friends…"

"Goodbye, Artie."

Santana leaned down and gave him a kiss on the lips. As she pulled away he held her hand for a brief moment. Santana looked down at his rough hands holding hers and her eyes started to water again. The two of them locked eyes before he squeezed gently and then pulled away. Artie left without saying anything. Santana shut the door behind him quickly because she couldn't control it anymore. She didn't want him to see her cry.

She went to the bathroom so she can wash up. She let the cold water run as she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't like what she saw. Everything with Puck and Finn in the past taught her that she shouldn't waste her time pining over a guy, and Artie was no exception. She should've known that he would only break her heart. They always do.

"He broke my heart." She scoffed to herself. She knew better than to let anyone get in so deep. She spent a better part of her day talking to Finn and Artie about her feelings. She was never the type to do that and when she did, no good came of it.

Santana ran her hands under the cold water and bought them up to wash her warm face. The cold water seemed to wake her up. There was no way in hell she was going to walk into that school tomorrow with the whole student body pitying her. Santana made a decision that things needed to go back to the way they were. She gathered her hair in a ponytail and with it, she put her guard up.

In short, the bitch is back.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**What did you think? I would love to hear your feedback for this chapter. Please review. I'm having a hard time staying motivated, but honestly reviews/comment/suggestions are such great motivators. I'm not only saying that to fish for reviews. Your opinions mean a lot to me. With that being said…**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	52. Chapter 52

_**A/N:**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own glee or its characters.**_

* * *

The next morning was a challenge for Santana. She was in her bed and had serious doubts about going to school. A part of her felt that she should call in sick, but she reconsidered. It would have been too obvious. She didn't want people to think she was scared of showing up. In reality, she wasn't scared. She was tired and didn't want to deal with people. The whole student body was expecting some kind of explanation about what happened with her, Artie, Finn and Quinn.

As hurt as Santana was, she was damned if she was going to let others know how she was feeling. Once she parked her car in the school parking lot and walked inside the building, everything changed. She quickly put on a brave face that practically told everyone that she doesn't give a fuck. She walked towards her locker and ignored everyone staring at her. How she walked into the school this morning was a complete 180 degrees different than how she left the building the day before.

While making her way down the halls, she saw Quinn standing there with a few Cheerios next to her. Santana walked right past them without even acknowledging their existence. Further down the hall, she completely ignored Artie, Tina and Brittany. She spotted Finn by his locker, but he avoided making eye contact with her. He didn't know if she told anyone about their awkward kiss. As the clicking of her boots became louder as she approached him, he briefly focused his attention on Santana instead of the contents of his locker. That was all that Santana needed. She smirked at him and gave him a flirty wave. No, she didn't have feelings for Finn, but Santana would much rather have people think of her as a man-stealing bitch than have them feel sorry for her because Artie cheated on her. Maybe a few people felt sorry for Santana, but most were actually hoping she would come down a few pegs. She wasn't going to give them that satisfaction.

Santana was gathering her math book from her locker when she felt someone creep up beside her.

"Good morning, Santana."

"What do you want, Berry?" Santana didn't even look at Rachel and kept her focus on the inside of her locker.

"I know you probably don't want to talk to me…"

"And yet you're still here." She replied harshly.

"Ok so we have our differences, but we all promised Mr. Schuester that we'll be ready for glee club today after school."

Santana completely forgot that Mr. Schuester was pissed that they weren't taking glee club seriously. Mercedes lashed out at them last practice for being unprepared. The last thing Santana wanted was to spend more time at school or with her so-called friends.

"I know, Berry." Santana lied. "I don't know why you're so excited for glee club practice, I've already prepared for my solo tonight. It'll be perfect for sectionals."

"Oh…" Rachel was a surprised, but decided not to push it.

"Now, please get out of my way because you're sweater is giving me a headache." Santana mocked as she slammed her locker shut. "Isn't it weird that the only thing that would actually make your outfit look better was if it was drenched in a slushy?" Santana added as she pushed her way past Rachel.

As Santana made it a few steps away from Rachel, she heard a chorus of laughter behind her. Santana turned around briefly and Rachel was drenched in a cold blue slushy. At the beginning of the year, Santana would've helped Rachel, or anyone, wash up. But at the beginning of the year she was also the head Cheerio and she could do whatever she wanted. Now, Santana had to walk a fine line. Needless to say she continued to her class as if nothing happened.

Her second period class was her free period where she could catch up on studying. It was the same for Artie. She walked into the classroom and found Artie already waiting for her. As usual, Ms. Pillsbury would come in, make sure they were there, and then would get back to her office.

"Hi…" Artie whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Free." Santana gathered her books and was about to sneak out of her classroom.

"Where are you going?" He asked. "We can't even been in the same room together now?"

"We can, but I just don't want to be around you."

"I may not like that we broke up, but I respect your decision. We can still be friends…you don't have to push people away." Artie claimed.

"I'm pushing people away?" She scoffed. "You pushed me away, Artie." She raised her voice slightly before taking a deep breath. "I'm not getting into this again. Do whatever, or whoever, you want and just mind your own damn business." She demanded before leaving Artie alone in the room.

Santana rushed to the glee club room, still fuming at Artie. On top of it all, she had to find a song to perform for glee club just because she couldn't keep her mouth shut in front of Rachel. To make things worse, her performance had to be perfect. Santana scrolled through her iPod and tried to find a song, but no luck.

By the time the bell rang, Santana was no closer to finding a song. She went to the bathroom and ran into Brittany there.

"Hi," Brittany said softly.

"Hi."

"I heard about you and Artie…"

"Everyone knows about me and Artie." She shrugged. "But screw him, he's just another boy."

"I know he meant more to you than that. You can talk to me about it. I know we're in a bit of a rough patch, but I'm still your friend."

"Thanks, Brit." Santana smiled. "I just hate how everything turned out."

"I'm sorry." Brittany added sympathetically as she gave her a hug.

"And Rachel airing everything out in front of the school yesterday didn't help either."

"She was just embarrassed as you were." Brittany rationalized. "I really wish you didn't slushy her earlier today."

"I didn't throw that slushy in her face…" Santana frowned out of confusion.

"I know you didn't actually throw it, Karofsky did. But you told him to do it…"

"No, I didn't." Santana argued. "Is that what everyone thinks?"

"People heard you saying that Rachel would look better if she was drenched in a slushy and the next thing we see is Rachel covered with a slushy." Brittany shook her head. "It's ok. She'll forgive you if you apologize…No big deal."

"I have nothing to apologize for. I had nothing to do with it." She continued to defend. "And thanks for believing me, Brit. So much for still being friends…" With that, she stormed out of the bathroom and went outside to get some fresh air.

Usually, she would spend her lunch at the cafeteria, but she had to avoid the politics of it all for now. She couldn't sit with the Cheerios or jocks and she didn't feel very welcome with her glee club friends. She didn't even know if she could call them friends at this point.

Every time she tried to figure out which song to sing, her thoughts kept drifting to Artie and then to Brittany. She didn't know how everything had changed so much in just a matter of weeks. She owned the school a few weeks ago, but now she's reduced to eating her lunch alone and focusing only on glee club without balancing it with Cheerios. It amazed her how Artie was able to cheat on her and she's the one who has to suffer. It wasn't entirely his fault; she blamed the whole school for putting a magnifying glass on her personal life. She never thought she'd lose so much so fast.

Just like that, inspiration hit her. She knew exactly which song she was going to sing tonight. It was inevitable that everyone in glee club would be talking about her and Artie. Before anyone could ask her anything, she was going to sing a song that perfectly summed up her relationship with Artie. Actually, it summed up all her past relationships. She practiced in the auditorium briefly during her lunch before heading off to conquer the rest of her day.

* * *

It was finally the end of the day and luckily, it was Friday. All she had to do was to get through glee practice before she was free for her weekend. She was one of the last people to walk into practice. She noticed her empty seat between Artie and Brittany, but she knew she couldn't sit there. She was glad that Quinn wasn't sitting there either. Santana took a seat in the top row and ignored everyone by focusing on her cell phone. Tina and Mercedes took the two seats to the right of her.

"That's what I'd like to see…everyone is here on time!" Mr. Schuester announced as he made his way into their practice room.

"As co-captain of this team, I'd like to apologize for our behavior last practice." Rachel stated. Somehow Santana managed not to roll her eyes.

"Thank you, Rachel." Mr. Schuester replied. "But you guys should take this as a lesson. Sometimes you need to know where to draw the line. I understand we use music and this club to express whatever we're going through, but you should be able to put any differences aside for the good of the club. You've all done that before and I know you can do it again."

No one really seemed to argue with him. They all decided to be on their best behavior, at least for today.

"Enough with the lecture," Mr. Schuester joked. "Before we head to the auditorium to practice, I understand that Santana has something she'd like us to hear."

Santana made her way to the front of the class with complete confidence, as if nothing had been bothering her. "Mr. Schuester is right; we should all draw the line somewhere. With that being said, I'm not going to make a long winded speech about this song. I'll let it stand for itself and you can all make of it whatever you like...about whoever you like." She looked at Artie as if to challenge him.

"Sounds good." Mr. Schuster said as he took his seat among the rest of the glee club. "Whenever you're ready…"

Santana felt the additional pressure of being up there with everyone staring right back at her. She felt a bit nervous. She briefly looked at Artie again and he just smiled at her. Even if they broke up, it was at that moment where she knew she was nowhere close to being over him.

She wasn't going to sing some heart-wrenching ballad. That wasn't her style. She picked an up tempo song that was brutally honest and perfectly described how she felt. She felt inclined to pick _Tears Dry on Their Own _by Amy Winehouse_._ She took a deep breath before starting with the song, completely avoiding Artie, Brittany, Finn, and Puck. It wasn't until Tina, Mercedes, and Rachel spontaneously joined in during the chorus that the performance picked up with the rest of the glee club.

Afterwards, Santana felt a bit relieved and satisfied. She wasn't completely happy with her performance, but this was the first time where she had a solo and was able to tell everyone what was on her mind. The song let them know that she doesn't want anyone's pity and that she has no problem being single.

Santana was done with bad relationships. And she was done with not being herself. The message is now loud and clear: Santana is untamable.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed. You really do motivate me to keep writing and I'm so glad you're all attached to this story like I am.**_

_**I spend a lot of time re-reading and re-writing parts until I'm happy with them. I had most of this chapter done last week, but picking a song for Santana and writing those last few paragraphs were challenging. Nonetheless, if any of you are interested, you can listen to Tears Dry on Their Own online. I think the songs works well for the story. Let me know how it turned out!**_

_**R&R, P&TY!**_


	53. Chapter 53   Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Way to go, Santana!" Mr. Schuester cheered as he made his way to the front of the practice room. "I'm very proud of you. That was a great song."

"Thanks, Mr. Schue." Santana smiled softly before heading back to her seat in the glee room.

"I'm going to give you guys a ten minute break and then we'll meet in the auditorium." Mr. Schuester added before leaving the room. Everyone followed at their own scattered pace. Santana was the last one in the room, preoccupied with a series of text messages she was sending.

"That was amazing, Santana." Rachel said in a very quiet voice as she came back into the room. "It was a great song."

Santana didn't know what to say and the silence in the room became more uncomfortable. "Thanks, Rachel." She finally replied and decided to accept the compliment.

"But I know you can do better." Rachel challenged.

"Excuse me?" Santana frowned.

"I heard you practice during the lunch break. What you performed right now was good, but the other song was better?"

"Why were you spying on me?"

"I didn't mean to. I…I was trying to find Finn and when I followed him into the auditorium, I saw you practicing." Rachel confessed.

"Finn was there too?" Santana asked.

"Yeah," Rachel turned a bit red out of embarrassment. There was another uncomfortable pause in the conversation. "I'm not here to talk about that." Rachel continued. "I just wanted to say that I think you made a mistake singing that song today. During lunch, when you sang Love is a Losing Game…it was amazing."

"Listen, Rachel." Santana confronted. "I'm not like you. I can't stand up there every week and pour my heart out in front of everyone. I don't know how you do it."

"How I do it?" Rachel was puzzled. "I don't know how you keep everything bottled in inside without driving yourself crazy."

"It's just another reason why we're so different, Berry." Santana stiffened up.

"We're not that different." She argued. "Aside from suffering very public humiliations during the last few days thanks to our boyfriends…"

"Ex-boyfriends." Santana interrupted with a correction.

"We're both two very proud girls and we're always in our own heads that we get in the way of ourselves. I think that's why you changed your performance at the last minute." Rachel practically hit the nail on the head explaining the two of them.

"You're so right. " Santana agreed.

"And we both think that Quinn is a little bit of a bitch." Rachel joked to lighten the mood.

"It's like we're twins." Santana added sarcastically. "When are you going to get over your pride and get back with Finn?" She asked abruptly and with complete seriousness.

"When are you going to get back with Artie?"

"That's different. Artie cheated on me. Finn lied to you about something that happened in the past when you two weren't even a couple."

"I don't trust him. I accept that what happened between the two of you was in the past, but I won't be with someone who has feelings for someone else."

"Finn is in love with you." Santana defended.

"Why do you think he was in the auditorium watching you?" Rachel questioned, but Santana kept quiet. "He has feelings for you. I'm not going to be someone's second pick. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to take time and enjoy being single."

"I'm going to need some time to think things through." Santana lied. She knew what she was going to do. She told Rachel to go ahead and she'll join them in the auditorium soon. Santana may not completely hate Rachel now, but that doesn't change how things played out with everyone else.

Santana went back to her cell phone and sent a message with a notorious smirk plastered on her face. "Puck, cancel our plans for tonight. I have better things to do."

No, Santana didn't have a change of heart. She had bigger things up her sleeve. If everyone thought Santana was a bitch before, then they have no idea what they are about to get themselves into.

Santana is back in full effect.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**So that's it. Done.**_

_**A few chapters back, I decided that this story needs to wind down. I know that this is not a clean ending to the story, but that's because it's not completely over...I'm already planning the sequel. I haven't abandoned Artana. I just wanted to close this part of their relationship and then use a different story that skips some time and re-examines Artana in a different way. So let's not call this an ending...just a brief hiatus.**_

_**Finally, I just want to thank everyone who read /alerted/reviewed this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**_


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